Bill’s dirty millions: De Blasio money grubbing will hurt him (NYDN) It’s a damning indictment of a man who offers himself as a paragon of progressive virtue: Mayor de Blasio shook loose millions of dollars from real estate developers and others seeking a business boost from the city — by far the most lucrative source of contributions to his now-defunct non-profit Campaign for One New York and his doomed effort to secure Democratic control of the state Senate, an explosive investigation by the Daily News finds. The mayor clearly aimed to use the funds to bolster the case for his 2017 reelection, by promoting signature accomplishments such as universal pre-K and affordable housing. Now, in an ironic reversal, he will find his reelection campaign hounded by his systematic perversion of New York City’s most powerful post into a platform for the mutual advancement of himself and big-money donors. Whether or not the paying and playing add up to anything illegal is for others — foremost, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara — to determine. That the machinations were cynical and unsavory is true beyond a reasonable doubt. It all began when, shortly before his January 2014 inauguration, de Blasio created a nonprofit group called the Campaign for One New York — a promotional apparatus run by his campaign team while the mayor sat in City Hall. Its charge: to promote de Blasio and advance his agenda. Its ethical limitations: few and far between. CONY collected unlimited sums from anyone under the sun, including from businesses eager to do business with — or already doing business with — the city. While de Blasio was personally barred by the city Conflicts of Interest Board from demanding funds from individuals and firms with business pending, his team operated under no such restrictions. Their targets were many of the same people who depend upon the municipal government to bolster their bottom line. CONY treasurer Ross Offinger targeted corporations and lobbyists with heat-seeking precision — and for a period raised funds both for the Campaign for One New York and de Blasio’s reelection fund, for which corporate contributions are banned by law. Taken together, it was as subtle as placing a “For Sale” sign on the steps of City Hall. It is not only that, via this broad move, de Blasio sidestepped tight campaign funding limits designed. With donations often obtained just before or after key meetings on matters of interest to the contributors, the appearance of impropriety is undeniable. Offinger pitched lobbyists, who in turn pitched their clients with enticements — one, delivering a $5,000 check after the dangled possibility of serving in a mayoral advisory group. Targets could expect to hear both from city officials about their projects and from Offinger about their contributions — as did developer John Zuccotti, whose Brookfield Properties made a $50,000 donation the very day he spoke with Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen. Among contributors, it was understood that buying in to the Campaign for One New York or the state Senate takeover effort might brighten relations with the mayor they depend on for business deals. Six developers with interests along the route of a proposed streetcar line linking Brooklyn and Queens delivered $245,000, just as de Blasio weighed whether to throw the city’s building and borrowing powers behind the project. And he did.

deB Banks is Clueless and A Incompetent Managers in An Administration That Has Sold Out to Developers

What New York needs is a coherent homeless-prevention program that doesn’t revolve around “more free stuff.” But it won’t get it as long as Steven Banks is in charge. Yes, de Blasio’s to blame for the surging shelter population(NYP) A year after Mayor de Blasio finally admitted the city faced a rising homeless crisis, the problem’s gotten worse — and he deserves much of the blame. As The Post reported Wednesday, the shelter population is surging. This past Sunday, it reached an all-time high of 59,734, eclipsing the record of 59,068 set in 2014. And the city’s actually diverting fewer applicants from the shelter system — down from 16.3 percent in fiscal 2015 to 12.6 percent the next year. It’s all a dead giveaway that the de Blasio approach isn’t working — and that Human Resources Commissioner Steven Banks is exactly the wrong guy to be setting homeless policy. Notably, the de Blasio-Banks team encouraged people to enter the shelter system — by making it more worthwhile: It can now get you added rent subsidies and a better chance of getting into public housing. Yes, the intent was to get people out of the system — but it plainly had the reverse impact. Similarly, City Hall’s push to boost awareness of emergency-housing grants and eviction-prevention programs has brought a surge in applications to both programs, from 65,138 in the 2015 fiscal year to 82,306 in 2016. As The Post reports today, the increase in shelter crowding has also brought a rise in violence, to 1,698 incidents in FY 2016. It’s worst at single-adult shelters, up 300 percent.

Trump Dumps Lobbyists As Fake Progressive de Blasio Not Only Keeps Them Protects Their Special Agent Shadow Gov Emails

What de Blasio could learn from Trump about handling lobbyists (NYP) Heading into his re-election year, Mayor de Blasio still hasn’t managed to keep his promises to be open about the influence of lobbyists in City Hall. President-elect Trump, by contrast, is keeping his promises even before taking office. As reported in Thursday’s Post, the mayor has yet to post all his staff’s meetings with lobbyists on the city Web site, as he promised in 2013. Nor has he made good on his more recent vow to release a list of all the donors — to his campaign and his pet nonprofits — who didn’t get favors from the city. If donors got something from the city, he says, it was a coincidence. Yet an avalanche of pay-to-play scandals has Team de Blasio facing multiple criminal probes. The mayor even resorted to declaring some lobbyists secret “agents of the city” to shield his e-mails with them from Freedom of Information requests. The Post had to sue to see some of their other e-mails. Team Trump looked bad on this front right after the election: The transition effort set up during the campaign turned out to include quite a few lobbyists — some of them advising on personnel and policy in the very fields that would impact their clients. But then Trump got directly involved. One of his first moves after Election Day was to name Vice President-elect Mike Pence as the new chairman of the transition — and Pence promptly ousted all the lobbyists. Even more important is a rule Trump adopted soon thereafter: Anyone working in his administration will be barred from working as a lobbyist for five years after leaving government. Progressives like de Blasio love to thunder against lobbyists’ influence. It’s interesting to see who’s actually doing something about it.

de Blasio Admits NYC is Still For Sale

de Blasio Re-Hires His Failed Aides to Shut Them Up

Nearly three months after Gilbert Taylor resigned as the commissioner of homeless services amid record levels of homelessness in New York City, de Blasio has named hima judge in Family Court.

FINANCIALLY REWARDING THE NOT SO EFFECTIVEInside government or out, Bill de Blasio’s cronies have it good (NYP) It’s good to be a crony of Mayor de Blasio. If you’re outside government, you can make big bucks lobbying him; if you’re on the inside, you’ll get a golden parachute even if you screw up. For the outsiders, it’s really rewarding. Take big FOB James Capalino, a lobbyist and fund–raiser who boasts of his easy access to the mayor. His firm’s earnings jumped more than 50 percent last year — from $8.2 million in 2014 to $12.9 million in 2015. And Capalino’s no oddity. Despite de Blasio’s campaign pledges to the contrary, lobbying has soared in his first two years — with firms’ earnings up 37 percent from 2013. But in Blas World, even failing pays. Gilbert Taylor was a disaster as Homeless Services chief. De Blasio officially removed him from his duties in December — just weeks after Taylor’s crew was unable to give exact figures on the homeless population at a City Council hearing. That fiasco concluded months of the administration downplaying the exploding homeless problem — though it had held meetings on the emergency all year. Yet Taylor still kept his $219,773 salary and the title of “consultant.” And this week, the mayor named him to be a Family Court judge.This is a pattern. Stacey Cumberbatch left as Administrative Services commmissioner — but kept her $205,868 pay for a gig in the city hospital system. Rose Pierre-Louis, fleeing the mayor’s Domestic Violence office, kept that same $205,868 as a senior adviser on gender issues.This comes atop insider hires like Stephanie Yagzi, romantic partner of mayoral aide Emma Wolfe, to a $150,000 made-up job that was never advertised publicly.Between taking care of his pals on the outside and his minions on the inside, it’s a wonder the mayor has any time left for the people’s business.* Nearly three months after Gilbert Taylor resigned as the commissioner of homeless services amid record levels of homelessness in New York City, de Blasio has named him a judge in Family Court, the Times reports * Ex-Homelessness Chief Is Appointed as New York Family Court Judge (NYT)

The Failed Homeless Commissioner and Other Given A Job to Shut Them Up?

Failed Homeless Services chief made aFamily Court judge (NYP) Continuing a trend of cushy landings for high-level appointees who leave or are pushed out of their posts, Mayor de Blasio has nominated former Homeless Services Commissioner Gilbert Taylor to be a Family Court judge. Taylor resigned suddenly from his $219,773 position on Dec. 15 as the mayor announced a 90-day review to overhaul the struggling agency. Taylor has since been largely out of sight after being retained in a consulting role at full salary to help shape the new homeless policy. Critics say his nomination to a judgeship raises questions. “Whatever Gilbert Taylor’s qualifications may be, the appearance of using a Family Court judgeship as a soft landing for someone who botched the city’s response to the homeless crisis is concerning,” said City Councilman Rory Lancman (D-Queens), chair of the Committee on Courts &amp; Legal Services. Other top administration officials have also kept collecting paychecks after losing their posts. Stacey Cumberbatch, once the commissioner of the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, became an assistant VP at the municipal hospital system in January, retaining her $205,868 salary. In October, Rose Pierre-Louis left the mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence, but also kept her $205,868 salary as a “senior adviser” to the mayor on gender issues. Consultant George Arzt added that keeping appointees in government is “a reward for loyalty — and that’s a huge commodity when you’re in government.”*

Continuing a trend of cushy landings for high-level appointees who leave or are pushed out of their posts, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio has nominated former Homeless Services Commissioner Gilbert Taylor to be a Family Court judge.

Mayor de Blasio's housing commissioner says Gov. Cuomo's affordable housing budget is a 'poison pill' (NYDN) Cuomo’s budget is a “poison pill” for city affordable housing, Mayor de Blasio’s housing commissioner said Thursday. When the state didn’t come through with about $160 million the city was expecting in tax exempt bonds, that halted the production of 1,200 affordable apartments, said Vicki Been, commissioner of the Department of Housing Preservation and Development. And new rules inserted into Cuomo’s proposed budget will “make it even worse,” she said.Under Cuomo’s plan, any project funded with the bonds would have to be approved by the Public Authorities Control Board — a panel with appointees by the governor, Assembly, and Senate, where any one of the three can scuttle a deal.*

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Housing Commissioner Vicki Been called Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposed executive budget a “poison pill” for the city’s affordable housing plan. EducationThe Daily News writes that Cuomo’s use of CUNY as a bargaining chip in his ongoing fued with de Blasio is not fair to the students who rely on the system for an affordable education:

BUDGET WARNING -- Council urges City Hall to prepare for state cuts -- POLITICONYThe specter of Andrew Cuomo's executive budget loomed large over the first day of hearings on Mayor Bill de Blasio's preliminary budget at City Hall Tuesday, as City Council members expressed repeated concerns that the city isn't prepared to fill the possible giant hole in its budget that would be created if Cuomo's proposals to cut city funding are enacted. De Blasio's top budget official told council members that he and his staff have yet to hold any conversations with Cuomo's administration over how to mitigate any of the state budget proposals that would cost the city almost $1 billion in Fiscal Year 2017, and more in the next several years. "I have been told by the governor's staff they will be reaching out to me soon," City budget director Dean Fuleihan told council members, when asked what the city was doing to prepare for the possibility that some or all of Cuomo's proposed cuts could end up in the final state budget, which is due April 1. "Clearly from our perspective, the fact that we've engaged in very little conversations and they may be passing this budget by April 1st, in 30 days, does that bring concern to you, as a director, that they haven't engaged you as of yet?" City Council Finance chair Julissa Ferreras-Copeland asked. "Yes." Fuleihan replied.* “Name the issue – charter schools, taxes, public housing, law enforcement, regulation of car-sharing services – and Cuomo has gone out of his way to step on de Blasio’s plans and sometimes humiliate him.”*Tight squeeze forBill (NYDN Ed) On Monday, city budget director Dean Fuleihan alerted agency commissioners that they must generate “significant new savings,” starting in the coming spending plan. During the Bloomberg administration, City Hall steadily required agency heads to meet specific targets for saving money through increased efficiency without cutting services. De Blasio abandoned the discipline in his first two budgets, to fiscal watchdogs’ distress. Now, his order tightens the belt partially: He has yet to present commissioners with actual benchmarks. Fuleihan attributed the stepped-up caution to an increasing danger that “volatile” world stock markets and a slowing U.S. economy could reduce city revenue. But events within the mayor’s control are more immediately threatening. Spending on homeless services and prevention is up 46% from just two years ago, to $1.7 billion. The tab to keep the public hospital system in business amid Obamacare cuts amounts to more than $1.3 billion. The police department is growing by 1,300 officers. Pension costs have leaped by a sudden $600 million a year because retirees are living longer. Underperforming pension fund investments may force further calls on the budget. The mayor’s generous labor settlements gave city workers raises at the same time that City Hall has helped the unions to largely fake their way out of delivering health-care avings. Still coming due are pledges to rebuild the city Housing Authority and help fund the Metropolitan Transportation Authority capital plan. How to pay for it all? Troublingly, de Blasio counts on a teeth-grinding 6.5% average annual rise in property tax collections through 2020.Now, go tell it all to the state Legislature and Gov. Cuomo — from whom de Blasio is asking big bucks while the Senate wants the city to live within the 2% cap on property taxes that covers the rest of New York. Further hanging over de Blasio is the governor’s ill-founded plan to unload onto the city $800 million in costs for CityUniversity and Medicaid. Cuomo’s rationale for the Medicaid hit is that the state should subsidize increased costs only for localities that abide by the 2% tax cap.* Cuomo has enjoyed a windfall from bank settlements, but budget analysts and experts are concerned about how the state will handle the loss of such funds, which they predict the will begin to taper off in coming years: (City and State)

Staten Island: City Hall bungled $90Mdonation for rec center (NYP) City Hall’s paralysis by analysis cost a low-income Staten Island neighborhood a $90 million donation from the Kroc family for a recreation center, Borough President James Oddo charged. “To have it slip through our hands is unforgivable,” Oddo fumed. “These centers are transformative,” Oddo told The Post. “They save lives.” The borough won a competitive bid to land a KrocCenter in 2006, and architects sketched out such amenities as four pools, an indoor track, an outdoor splash deck and soccer field, and space for classes and after-school programs. In 2014, with the project stalled, Oddo proposed “a marriage with the city” — a deal to help fund construction in exchange for the right to run city programs there. The area had lost its only city-run rec center in 2010, when the CromwellCenter, built on a rotting city pier, collapsed into the harbor. Oddo pledged $5 million from his discretionary budget and began two years of meetings with Mayor de Blasio’s office and the Parks Department. On March 1, after several deadline extensions without any answer from the city, the Salvation Army pulled the plug. “The significant financial hurdles simply could not be overcome,” Major James Betts had said. Oddo is at a loss to explain why City Hall left him twisting in the wind about the KrocCenter. “To me this was more bureaucracy, short-sightedness and failing to recognize or sufficiently respect that this was clearly an extremely high priority,” he said. “The problems in this community — the heroin epidemic, spiking crime, the education gap — are all the issues that a KrocCenter targets,” Oddo said. “This is everything the mayor campaigned on.”

The Mayor and Council has Not A Clue How to Solve the City's Affordable Housing Crisis As They Spin Failed Plans

De Blasio’s infinitely-bedeviled affordable-housing hopes (NYDN Ed) When it comes to Mayor de Blasio’s latest housing plan, one City Council member says, “The devil’s in the details.” Wrong, says another, “The devil’s in plain sight.” They’re both right — as last week’s hearings on the plan made painfully clear. Critics say the mayor’s proposed rules to promote “affordable housing” (and fix practically every other problem under the sun) fall short. Well, yeah: His promises are sky-high. Plus, his ideas for delivering are so Rube-Goldberg complex that everyone sees things to gripe about. And de Blasio’s “inequality” mantra only fuels the discontent. But, oy, the details. The scheme features a mind-numbing range of variables, from the percentage of subsidized apartments to tenants’ income levels and even the neighborhood’s median earnings. And Team de Blasio isn’t just trying to get “affordable housing” built. It also aims for greater “economic diversity” in neighborhoods — even as it (rightly) argues that middle-income folks, as well as the poor, can have trouble paying market-rate rents in some areas. Never mind that, say some advocates, who want builders to offer more units and bigger subsidies for poorer tenants. Some even warn that de Blasio’s plan will speed gentrification and push up rents elsewhere in neighborhoods — a nutty flip on the idea of progress. The Not-In-My-Back-Yard crowd also hisses at the plan. And construction unions see a chance to demand higher wages. But builders eye the bottom line: If they can’t make a decent profit, they won’t build. “We are pushing as far as we can,” says de Blasio’s Housing Preservation and Development commissioner, Vicki Been. “If we push too far, we get zero housing.” Decades of city “affordable housing” efforts — with tools from rent regulation to Section 8 vouchers to tax breaks for developers — haven’t made a dent in the “crisis.” Instead, celebrities and top earners make headlines hoarding subsidized units, insiders cut the line for the relatively few “affordable” units and the squeeze continues for everyone else. De Blasio’s plan for 80,000 new subsidized units will yield the same result — assuming he can figure out how to get it passed. * New York City workers and police officers persuaded more than 100 homeless people to get off the street overnight into Sunday as the temperature plummeted below zero, but at least one man talked police into letting him stay, the Post writes: * Unions and activists are starting to lobby New York City Council members on alternative zoning proposals that promote local hiring and more safe work zones and call for more affordable units in areas that are up-zoned: http://goo.gl/sGgtG8

The Mayor's Plan Will Cost Billions and Will Not Build Enough Affordable Housing

Mayor de Blasio madetwo big self-harming choices when retailing his grand housing plan (NYDN) "Twelve years ago you would have thrown a ticker tape parade” for a mayor who planned to build affordable housing across the city, Councilman David Greenfield cracked while facing fury against Mayor de Blasio’s plan to do just that. Yet, like many others who spoke that long day — some tearfully describing appalling housing conditions and costs — the same advocates now urge the Council to reject the mayor’s proposal unless they see fundamental alterations. Speaker after speaker condemned de Blasio’s plan as a mortal threat to the city’s poor. How was it that Mayor de Blasio’s head-on Robin Hood assault on New York’s real estate fat cats bombed with the very progressives who ought to champion the most aggressive affordable housing mandate in the country?

de Blasio Clueless On How to Manage the Homeless Problem Keeps Throwing Money At the Growing CrisisBill’s costlyhellholes: As the homelessness crisis grows, the administration seems to bethrowing good money after bad (NYDN) Ponder Mayor de Blasio’s priorities — and the goods he is buying with spiraling outlays on serving the homeless. The rapidly rising figures are astonishing. All together, the mayor will spend $1.7 billion on homelessness this year, a whopping 46% more than just two years ago. For context, $1.7 billion is more than the city spends annually to pick up and dispose garbage, run the fire department or keep the city’s drinking water clean. That amount includes $1.3 billion to run shelters, an outlay larger than the city spends on parks, senior centers, libraries and cultural institutions combined. Thousands of homeless families live in decrepit, roach-infested temporary apartments and hotels that have numerous housing code violations — with landlords reaping thousands of dollars a month for each apartment. Families frequently complain they receive little guidance securing an apartment so they can leave these abysmal accommodations — even though facility operators are paid to help them. Conditions are often so frightening in congregate shelters for single individuals that many live on streets or subways — and the city’s census of street denizens is questionable.

If the Council Pass the Mayor's New Housing Bill They Will Take Direct Responsibility for the Gentrification Throwing People Out of Their Homes

It’s impossible to overlook the self-harming choices de Blasio made in retailing his grand plan, when two of his most consistent political instincts served him poorly. One is to come up to the plate swinging for the bleachers, proposing citywide plans of history-making sweep. That’s what he did with the Housing New York vision unveiled in the first months of his term — promising to build and preserve 200,000 affordable apartments over 10 years via supersizing currently low-rise neighborhoods. The other is to insist on exhaustive consultation with affected communities — opening up the entirely reasonable expectation that hours of feedback collected at late-night meetings actually would be reflected in results.

The Mayor's Housing Plan Will Not Stop Gentrification

In fact, in East New York , that’s not how it’s actually going to work at all. The city’s analysis showed that all the housing developed there initially would have to be taxpayer-subsidized, because the neighborhood was so poor no developer could profit from building market-rate housing there. But with East New York serving as de Blasio’s inaptly chosen testing ground , activist groups rallied residents to oppose his plan as a Trojan horse for developers set on gentrifying the scrappy area. The same horror movie trailer unspooled in other low-income areas targeted by the mayor for development: Local residents shuddered that newcomers would come in to shove them aside, with even the supposedly affordable rents far beyond their meager budgets. Seeking to salvage a deal with the City Council, Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen, the savvy steamroller leading the housing effort, has now hinted that a compromise could be had, perhaps paying for more apartments for the poorest by raising rents on other affordable apartments. But there’s no such thing as free housing . Ultimately there are only two ways for the critics and their allies on the Council to get what they want.One is to bank on stepped-up luxury development, with rents so high they yield cash to spare to house the poor — furthering the very gentrification activists fear. Or more likely: de Blasio dips into his $8 billion affordable housing piggybank, committing to pay dearly to buy down rents to a level the poor can actually afford, and diverting funds that could have otherwise built additional affordable apartments.

Violent Incidents at Schools Soar While de Blasio Spins Safer Than Ever

Violent incidents at NYC schools soar while de Blasio claims they’re safer than ever (NYP) There were 15,934 incidents at public schools that fell into 11 categories designated as “violent” by the state Education Department — including assaults, sex offenses and weapons possession — up from 12,978 in 2014, the data shows. Those included a stunning 40.4 percent increase in the number of assaults with physical injury and a 48.4 percent increase in assaults with serious physical injury. Additionally, the number of forcible sex offenses nearly doubled from 10 to 19, other sex offenses rose by 4 percent — from 2,151 to 2,239 — and incidents with weapons increased by nearly 15 percent. De Blasio has been touting improvements in school safety for months, saying as recently as Nov. 18 that “our schools are a lot safer than they used to be.” He has also been boasting of a 29 percent decrease in “crime” in schools between 2012 and 2015, which refers to only the fraction of overall incidents that result in arrest. The Department of Education reported just 6,875 crimes and other incidents in 2015 — even though the tally is supposed to include nonviolent acts such as trespassing, harassment and disorderly conduct. That’s 9,059 fewer incidents than the state data shows — the highest gap in at least a decade between the two systems, according to the analysis. DOE officials said the city data only includes incidents where the NYPD’s school safety agents get involved, while the state gets its data from a mandated online reporting system for school administrators. Asked whether they dispute the state’s figures, DOE officials questioned the state’s definition of “assault” relative to the penal code and argued that the designation of which incidents are violent was too broad. The state’s 11 categories of violent incidents are: homicide, forcible sex offenses, other sex offenses, robbery, assault with physical injury, assault with serious physical injury, arson, kidnapping, reckless endangerment, weapon possession and other incidents with weapons.* Lying to New York’sparents about soaring school violence (NYP Ed) Violence in the city’s schools has soared to its highest levels in at least a decade — even as Mayor de Blasio tells New Yorkers schools are safer. This month, the mayor hailed a 29 percent drop in school crime since the 2010-11 academic year. That now looks like a carefully misleading statistic. On Thursday, Families for Excellent Schools used state data to highlight actual trends in city schools. The number of violent incidents shot up a whopping 23 percent last year (the first full year under Mayor de Blasio) — from 12,978 to 15,934. That’s far more than in any year since at least 2004-05. And it includes troubling spikes in assaults, sex-related offenses, weapons possession and other crimes. Yet de Blasio’s still spewing happy talk: His answer to the state data was to insist that “overall we have reduced violent incidents.* Violent incidents in New York City public schools are up 23 percent and assaults that led to a serious injury rose by 50 percent, according to state figures reported by principals, yet de Blasio painted a different picture, NY1reports: * De Blasio administration is lying when he says there has been a drop in school crime, and the reason behind the spike in violence may be the drastically loosened discipline policies de Blasio and city Schools Chancellor Carmen Farina enacted, the Post writes:

Two More Cops Shot Expected to Make Full Recovery

Sources said one of two officers hit in a shootout with an alleged Muslim extremist was struck by a bullet believed to be fired by the suspect, but it is still unclear who fired the bullet fragments that hit his partner, the Post reports:

Officers began to follow the car &amp; radioed for assistance. The suspect then traveled the wrong way on Lexington Ave., ramming a patrol car.* Officers heard gunfire near Quincy St. &amp; Malcolm X. Blvd. As they approached the suspect, he pointed a revolver at them and fled in a car

Man Who Pushed Woman On Subway Had Open Warrants That the Council Wants to Vacate

These Same Warrants Identify New Yorkers Suffering From Mental Illness

Man who pushed woman toward subway had open warrants (NYP) A homeless man shoved an NYU Ph.D. student toward the tracks at a busy Brooklyn subway station— and it turns out he has the exact kind of low-level open warrants that the City Council speaker wants to vacate, a law-enforcement source said. David French, 46, who has skipped out on two court dates for littering and public urination, attacked Martina Balestra, 35, as she waited for a northbound train on the 4 and 5 line at the Borough Hall station Thursday around 7:15 p.m., the source said. French lunged forward and shoved her toward the train tracks — but the quick-thinking Balestra grabbed a pillar at the last second and stayed on the platform, the source said. The homeless man, who has been living at a shelter in Harlem, was busted for littering and urinating in public last year — but he never showed up to his court dates. When cops tracked him down, he still had two open criminal court summons warrants, sources said. City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito has said she wants to vacate about 700,000 old open warrants for low-level offenders who never showed up to court.

de Blasio Inconsistent Relatonship With the NYPD: Back the Future On Advice to His Son

Daily News: By Agreeing to the Council Raise de Blasio Telling the NYPD They Are Second Class

Mayor Bill de Blasio, in his most candid remarks on race, policing and being the father of a biracial teen son since his feud with the NYPD, defended his previous comments on the hot-button issues as “true,” the Daily News reports: * By signing the bill to increase the New York City Council’s salaries, de Blasio is telling the police, who get paid less than half a council member’s salary and have been in labor contract negotiations, they are second-class heroes, the Daily News writes * WE HAVE TO CHANGE IT': De Blasio defends telling son Dante to 'take special care' during police encounters, says Black Lives Matter is 'absolutely' transformational (NYDN) *Bill's Council cop out (NYDN Ed) The mayor has often cited settling long outstanding labor contract as among his proudest accomplishments. The terms were generous, particularly when compared with those offered by his predecessor. Altogether, de Blasio gave the workforce raises totaling 27% going as far back as 10 years — with a few unions yet to settle. Key among the holdouts is the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association.Through arbitration, the PBA secured 1% raises for contracts covering 2006 and 2007, amounts in line with de Blasio’s pattern for those years. Now, representing more than 20,000 cops, the union is seeking to break de Blasio’s pattern for later contract years. The mayor would give President Pat Lynch grounds to demand handsome raises should the mayor follow through by approving hikes for the Council totaling 32%. DE BLASIO REVISITS HIS DANTE REMARKS Mayor de Blasio opened an old wound with city police officers — saying the comments he made in 2014 about having had to “train” his biracial son, Dante, to “take special care” around cops should not have sparked controversy, because they are true. * In a candid speech at CUNY, de Blasio also called the Black Lives Matter movement was transformational in how people are addressing racial issues. In a panel discussion alongside New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, de Blasio defended his earlier remarks in the strongest language he has used since he first made them. In a wide-ranging answer to a question about his opinions of the Black Lives Matter movement, de Blasio said, "I spoke about the conversations Chirlane and I had with our son Dante about how he had to comport himself in any dealings with the police, and I said something that hundreds of thousands of Americans acknowledge as their reality, families of color know they have to do it." "Of course it became a huge controversy, but it shouldn't be a controversy because it's true, and we have to grapple with it, and we have to change it," the mayor said. Patrolmen's Benevolent Association president Patrick Lynch, in a statement responding to de Blasio's comments Thursday night, said. "Biases come in all sizes and shapes and it's time for the Mayor to recognize his bias against police."(PoloiticoNY)-- Daily News: "Mayor de Blasio, in candidspeech at CUNY event, returns to controversial topic dealing with race thatangered police"-- Observer:"De Blasio Defends Warning HisBiracial Son About 'Dangers' of Police" * WE HAVE TO CHANGE IT': De Blasio defends telling son Dante to 'take special care' during police encounters, says Black Lives Matter is 'absolutely' transformational (NYDN)

The Mayor Turns A Sanitation Failure Into A Press Release and the Daily News Compares Him to LaGuaridia

Last Week the DN Reported on the Mayor's Failed Council Raise Pay to Play Horse-Carriage Deal The Newspaper Should Have Compared de Blasio to Corrupt Mayor Jimmy WalkerCall him Mayor Clean: In praise of Bill de Blasio's newanti-trash and anti-graffiti push (NYDN) Mayor de Blasio has Fiorello LaGuardia’s wisdom that — updated for the times — there’s no progressive, or the-opposite-of-progressive, way to pick up the garbage. He’s ramping up trash pickups and graffiti cleanups from Bay Ridge to BoroughPark to Bellerose to the Bronx. Named CleaNYC, the mayor’s push is designed to attack nagging complaints that, in some neighborhoods, rubbish is overflowing and vandals are tagging buildings. Sanitation workers will:

de Blasio's Affordable Housing Plan Crumbles as He Heads to Iowa to Campaign for Hillary

The Cuomo administration strongly backed a plan by NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer to divert $400 million over 10 years for affordable housing to make needed improvements at the New York City Housing Authority. But de Blasio quickly threw cold water on the idea, pitting him against two of his frequent critics. * De Blasio’s affordable housing plan allocates fewer units for the poorest households in the city than his predecessor, Mike Bloomberg’s did, according to a new study — frustrating advocates who say they supported him because he promised to help the neediest. IOWA NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio plans to travel with his wife, Chirlane McCray, to Iowa this weekend to campaign in support of Hillary Clinton, his fellow Democrat and former boss, in the final days of her close race against Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont in the state’s presidential caucuses. The couple will pay their own expenses.* Tish James &amp; Scott Stringer participate in rally slamming @BilldeBlasio housing plan in comparison to Bloomberg's:

A de Blasio flashback: he supported AY for "over 3000 low-income units" (nope); "I will take what I can get" (AYR) I recently found the original copy of a document I cited nearly seven years, when then City Council Member Bill de Blasio, at that point aiming to be Brooklyn Borough President and now of course our city's mayor, explained his support of Atlantic Yards with a sloppy, erroneous reference. The interview was in the Spring 2008 issue of the Park Slope Reader."I’ve supported Atlantic Yards because it will provide over 3000 units of affordable housing to low-income residents and it will bring more local jobs to the neighborhood," de Blasio claimed.Actually, the plan was and is to include 900 low-income apartments, among 2250 subsidized rentals, and potentially 600 to 1000 for-sale affordable units, of which a "majority... will be sold to families in the upper affordable income tiers," according to the Housing Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Forest City Ratner signed with ACORN. (The plans for the for-http://truenewsthebund.blogspot.com/2016/01/mayor-ignores-community-leaders.htmlsale units are far more fuzzy than plans for the rentals.) Low-income does not mean "affordable," but de Blasio apparently didn't care about the distinction. Or is it that, as an October 2013 profile inPoliticker indicated, he was said to be "a surface guy, total surface. He’s not in the weeds." The "surface" now is that two towers will have 100% affordable units (but be matched by 100% market-rate rental buildings, which was never planned). So de Blasio can say "affordable" even as the affordability drifts upward--even in the low-income categories--from the income "bands" targeted in the ACORN agreement. As I reported, half the units in the next two towers would go to households at the income band that requires some $3,000 for a two-bedroom apartment.

de Blasio Brought Back the Homeless Hotels to Avoid Community Opposition NIMBY Politics

De Blasio banned the opening of more homeless shelters (NYP) Mayor de Blasio personally banned the opening of new shelters in 2014 because of community backlash — and instead told officials to put homeless families in less secure hotels like the one where a mom and two kids were slaughtered Wednesday on Staten Island, The Post has learned. De Blasio issued the edict during a meeting with Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Lilliam Barrios-Paoli and Department of Homeless Services Commissioner Gilbert Taylor — both of whom later resigned amid the growing homeless crisis, a DHS official said. “They started pushing us to put clients in commercial hotels because they didn’t want to notify the people in the communities,” the DHS source said. “When you open up a shelter, you have to notify the community, City Council members, officials, and people get upset. [De Blasio] had opened a lot of shelters that fall and was afraid of opening more. So he started opening up these hotels.” De Blasio sent senior policy adviser Lincoln Restler to work with DHS on the hotel program, but Restler ignored senior staffers’ fears that the hotels could endanger homeless residents, the DHS source said. * Unarmed homeless-services cops face violence in shelters, dozens of serious incidents categorized as 'priority one' (NYDN)

“These commercial hotels don’t have adequate security, and [city officials] know that,” the source explained. “Regular shelters do. [Many] have full-body metal detectors. A boyfriend can’t just walk in and go to his girlfriend’s room if he doesn’t live there.”In the Staten Island bloodbath, it’s unclear if tighter security would have prevented the atrocity. Surveillance video showed that victim Rebecca Cutler, 26, let Michael “Skyes” Sykes, her boyfriend who was also the father of one of the children he allegedly stabbed to death, into the hotel through a side door, a staffer there said. The city was not using any commercial hotels for the homeless in January 2014, City Hall officials said. But since then, Gotham’s homeless population has soared — and so has the number of homeless staying in the commercial hotels. As of this week, roughly 2,656 people were housed in 41 hotels throughout the Big Apple, the City Hall source said, adding that only 16 had full-time security. The Ramada Inn in Willowbrook, where Wednesday’s killings took place at about 8:50 a.m., only had security at night.Cops were still searching for Sykes, 23, after tracing his whereabouts to Brooklyn, where his mother currently resides.* De Blasio and Cuomo Fire Tense Letters Over Security in Homeless Shelters (NY1)The latest public feud between Mayor Bill de Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo is over security in homeless shelters, after a multiple fatal stabbing in a Staten Island hotel on Wednesday.*

Flashback Mayor’s Effort toReduce Homelessness Is Off Pace, Study Says(NYT 2008) The report criticizes the Bloomberg administration, saying it failed to deliver on what the mayor has repeatedly endorsed as an essential measure of public accountability: progress evaluations. Only one assessment of the plan’s various programs has been released so far, in 2005, the report says. “Without regular information,” it says, “it is unclear which programs the Bloomberg administration believes have been successful, what have been the major challenges, and whether current efforts and funding are adequate in order to make progress toward its goals.” Mr. de Blasio, chairman of the Council’s General Welfare Committee, which oversees the city’s social services agencies, said the mayor’s intentions were “very noble,” but cautioned, “It’s not just enough to set goals.”* WE'RE ALL EXHAUSTED': Unarmed homeless-services cops face violence in shelters, dozens of serious incidents categorized as 'priority one' (NYDN)

After Holding Off On Clinton Endorsement and Failure of His Progressive PAC Mayor Heads to Iowa to Campaign for Clinton

Bill de Blasio’s off to Iowa to sell his soul (NYP) The trip comes in the wake of two years of ego-driven national overreach. Last year, he set his heart on his Progressive Agenda Committee hosting a presidential forum on income inequality. Oops: Not one candidate, not even Bernie Sanders, agreed to show. As another part of his broader plan to make himself the face of the new progressive movement, the mayor also loudly held off on endorsing Clinton — despite having run her 2000 US Senate campaign. He insisted he needed to hear more “commitment” from her on progressive issues like inequality.

As the Mayor Campaigns Uninvited in Iowa the Guardian Go Back to Patrolling the Subways

This is a mayor who is a top operative, who understands optics, who just enabled a series of stories that make him look downtrodden

Developers Get to Make Noise At Night

A tale of two noises: De Blasio’s unequal ‘quality of life’ crusade (NYP) On Sunday, his team announced a deal to halve tourist helicopter flights. The same day, The Post reported on the jump in permits for loud overnight construction work. De Blasio’s Economic Development Corp. says the chopper deal will cut 30,000 Downtown Manhattan Heliport flights a year. No more Sunday flights either, or ones over Governor’s Island. Yet the city’s doing nothing about another ear-ache: As Isabel Vincent and Melissa Klein reported in Sunday’s Post, the Buildings Department OK’d 59,895 permits last year for work between 6 p.m. and 7 a.m. — a 24 percent jump from 2014. It nixed only 431 applications, for an approval rate of 99 percent. ’Copter-noise complaints make up a minuscule share (less than 1 percent) of all noise-related 311 calls. But one resident calls night-time construction work an “indescribable nightmare.” Machines make it impossible to sleep, and filing complaints “does not work,” says Isabel Madden, who lives near a project at 220 Central Park South.* Developers, DOBlove night construction, but residents not so much (Real Deal)

LOL . . . As Most Fail de Blasio on Management of the city Bloomberg Touts His Skills All Over the World

Bloomberg and his fans have been traveling the world to spread the gospel of the former mayor’s management style and philosophy to other city governments.* The annual overtime costs of uniformed workers in New York City hit more than $1 billion.

Mayoral Control of Schools is Part of the War for the State Senate

Fariña’s failures prove that de Blasio can’t be trusted(NYP) Who will control New York City public schools on July 1? The question has become a referendum on Mayor de Blasio’s leadership. De Blasio requested permanent mayoral control of the schools last year. In June, an unimpressed state Legislature renewed it for a single year. De Blasio was essentially on probation. At an Albany budget hearing last week, de Blasio floated a seven-year extension — ensuring his control through a second term — when this year’s renewal runs out. A still-skeptical Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan responded that he “supports mayoral control . . . but not at any price.” Flanagan and his Republican colleagues are put off by de Blasio’s antagonism toward charter schools. They’ve also called for more scrutiny of the city’s education spending. De Blasio, then, hasn’t earned a longer leash. Why not? A primary reason is his handpicked schools chancellor, Carmen Fariña. *Playing politics with toddlers: De Blasio’s real pre-K priority(NYP) The mayor is refusing to pay roughly $720,000 due to the SuccessAcademy network for pre-K tuition until Success signs a contract giving the city Education Department control over the charters’ pre-K programs. This, when many city-overseen pre-K outfits are just glorified day care, while Success and other charters actually teach. “Kids are hanging in the balance,” Success chief Eva Moskowitz wrote state Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia. “We simply cannot sustain these classes without state-mandated funding. If there is no decision by Feb. 15, 2016, we will have no choice but to cancel our pre-K classes for next year.”

By Jim Callaghan Big Bill rushing to break Mayor Jimmy Walker's record for sleazoid deals before he leaves office in two years. as yogi said: "It's Dej Vu all over again- theft of pubic parkland. The Central Park Casino, originally the Ladies Refreshment Salon, was a restaurant near East 72nd Street, in Central Park in New York City. The name of the building came from the Italian for "little house"; the Casino itself was not a gambling business. Built in 1864, the restaurant was once intended for unaccompanied female visitors to Central Park, but was soon patronized by both men and women. While the building that housed the Casino belonged to the City of New York, the City often leased the Casino to independent operators. Mayor Jimmy Walker exercised this power in 1929 by terminating the lease of C.F. Zittel, allowing Walker's friend, Sidney Solomon, to transform the Casino into one of New York's most expensive nightclubs. Besides entertaining elite guests in the restaurant, Walker had an office in the Casino and conducted city administration there while meeting with political cronies. When the Great Depression hit four months after the Casino reopened, the nightclub faced increasing criticism for operating on city land while maintaining prices only the wealthiest New York residents could afford. As part of their personal vendetta against Jimmy Walker, the new Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia and his Park Commissioner Robert Moses demolished the Casino in 1936 and built a playground over the site of the former restaurant Koch tuned City Hall over to Meade, Cohn, Manes, Freidman and their pals; DiB turns it over to his pals in the same fashion. where is the "reform?"

New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, Public Advocate Letitia James and Building and Construction Trades Council President Gary LaBarbera joined a rally at City Hall calling on the administration to revamp its housing agenda:(C&amp;S)

de Blasio Plan to Fix Homeless Shelters: Make A Historic Promise and When That Fails Make Another Promise 2.0

The mayor says it is unacceptable that his administrationfailed to create report cards for city homeless shelters: (NY1) * De Blasio Administration Months Late in Creating Scorecards for Hundreds of Homeless Shelters (NY1) Almost eight months ago, Mayor Bill de Blasio said he would be sending out squads of city workers to make rapid repairs on homeless shelters and promised to disclose all of that work publicly, giving every city shelter a scorecard. But NY1's Courtney Gross found out that's not yet happening. The administration's initial response was last May. It was here that the mayor promised to send repair teams into city shelters and give every single city shelter a scorecard so the public could keep tabs on all the work that was getting done. "There will be an accountability system," Mayor Bill de Blasio said at the time. "It will be a public system maintained by the Department of Homeless Services. There will be a public tracking system so you and members of the public can identify where we stand with each of the facilities. There will be a scorecard made available publicly. That will be up later this month." Eight months later, almost none of those scorecards are in. Only 23 shelters are rated when the promise encompasses nearly 700. A previous version of the Department of Homeless Services website promised reports "by September," but that never happened. Now, the website says "by November." Still, the scorecards aren't there. The tardiness comes even as criticism of shelter conditions has increased, particularly from de Blasio's chief political rival, Governor Andrew Cuomo.

The administration's initial response was last May. It was here that the mayor promised to send repair teams into city shelters and give every single city shelter a scorecard so the public could keep tabs on all the work that was getting done. "There will be an accountability system," Mayor Bill de Blasio said at the time. "It will be a public system maintained by the Department of Homeless Services. There will be a public tracking system so you and members of the public can identify where we stand with each of the facilities. There will be a scorecard made available publicly. That will be up later this month." Eight months later, almost none of those scorecards are in. Only 23 shelters are rated when the promise encompasses nearly 700. A previous version of the Department of Homeless Services website promised reports "by September," but that never happened. Now, the website says "by November." Still, the scorecards aren't there. The tardiness comes even as criticism of shelter conditions has increased, particularly from de Blasio's chief political rival, Governor Andrew Cuomo.* De Blasio visits Manhattan homeless shelter, takes resume (NYDN)

The Result of de Blasio's Management Skills is to Throw Money At Problems

De Blasio hasn’t met a problem he doesn’t want to throw money at(NYP)The mayor is right to worry — but he’s also doing not much, too late, to help New York weather a downturn. Instead, he’s added billions in unnecessary spending — making cuts to services like police and libraries that much worse when the bad times do come.De Blasio is good at diagnosing the risk. We’re “watch[ing] economic storm clouds gather across the globe,” he warned last week. “World stock markets have lost trillions of dollars . . . We’re seeing slow or negative growth in many of the world’s major economies.” But even without such signs, the mayor added, he wouldn’t be complacent: “New Yorkers know the economy can turn on us suddenly and without warning,” he said. Consider the mayor’s actions over the past two years. During Mayor Bloomberg’s last year, the city spent $54.7 billion of its taxpayers’ cash (plus distributed another $19.9 billion in federal and state money). But for the upcoming fiscal year, which starts in July, de Blasio proposes to spend $62.1 billion. That’s a 13.5% hike in spending — nearly seven times as fast than inflation. Starting this year, de Blasio is hiking the minimum wage for all city employees and outside contract workers to $15 — costing another $115 million annually.

Another de Blasio Management Promise Fix Failure: Isolation for Young Adults in Jail

The Council’sphantom menace (NYDN Ed)* New York City snapped back to normalcy after one of the largest blizzards in city history, but pockets of the city, mostly in Queens, had yet to be plowed by Monday afternoon, engendering wrath that worries public officials, The New York Times reports: * While de Blasio appears to have learned from past mistakes in blizzard recovery efforts, Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia needs to explain why many smaller streets in Queens were still impassable Monday, the Daily News writes * As New York City kept digging out from the second-largest snowfall on record, residents and elected officials in Queenssaid their borough got short shrift.

Operating on the assumption that policing is an inherently oppressive and almost surely racist act, the City Council is working up legislation advertised as limiting the NYPD’s enforcement of quality-of-life offenses. The bills started out as measures to decriminalize behavior like public urination, public drinking and turnstile jumping. Now, they offer a “solution” that is as small as the imaginary problem they address is vast. Effectively, cops would keep discretion to treat minor offenses as either criminal matters deserving arrest or as non-criminal matters, with simple tickets that won’t turn into warrants if they are not dealt with. The NYPD’s hold on criminal authority is certainly why Commissioner Bill Bratton has acquiesced to this neutered fix to an imagined ill — as he heads a department that has already reduced quality-of-life arrests to 20-year lows, as a matter of voluntary strategy. Letting the Council play mock government may be the simplest way to let the grownups actually run the city. But, ultimately, the legislation damages police-community relations by unjustly appearing to certify that the NYPD is guilty of widespread abuse. * Queens was basically forgotten during Winter Storm Jonas (NYP) * COP VESTS ON ICE: $60M that Cuomo planned to spend on police gear went to snow plows, other expenses instead (NYDN) * SNOW EXCUSE! Mayor de Blasio tours Queens for closer look at borough hit hardest by blizzard, expects to see streets in passable shape by Monday morning (NYDN) * New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said schools will be open today and alternate side parking is suspended until Friday after the blizzard, and he directed more plows to Queens, saying the Sanitation Department needs to do a better job there, NY1 reports: * Cuomo’s plan to spend $60 million for police vests and body cameras instead went to new snow plows and other expenses, including last summer's manhunt for two escaped murderers and the state's response to a 2014 Buffalo snowstorm, theDaily News reports:

When It Comes to Developers de Blasio is the One Redistribution Wealth Upwards

The Daily News writes that the Blackstone Group, which is purchasing the StuyvesantTown and Peter Cooper apartments, is getting an overly generous deal from the de Blasio administration

Fairer deal wantedin the StuyTown plan (NYDN) As they say: The rich get richer. But as they don’t usually say: Mayor de Blasio is the one redistributing the wealth upward. That’s the bottom line, it’s increasingly evident, on the $5.5 billion purchase of Manhattan’s gigantic StuyvesantTown and Peter Cooper apartment complexes by the Blackstone Group private equity firm. The 11,200 apartments in the development were thrust to the center of the battle for housing affordability in 2006 when a mega-developer took ownership at a wildly inflated price with a strategy for dramatically boosting rents. The strategy ended in a near-bankruptcy that threw residents into limbo. In October, with Blackstone moving to buy the properties, the de Blasio administration announced that the city would kick in money in order to entice the company to keep 5,000 apartments under rent stabilization for 20 years, while allowing Blackstone to rent or sell the other 6,250 units at whatever prices it can fetch. From the start, City Hall was less than clear on Blackstone’s compensation. A press release said that the city “will fund a loan of up to $144 million,” without revealing that the mayor would then forgive the loan plus add $77 million, bringing the true outlay to $221 million. That worked out to Blackstone netting a $42,000 per-unit subsidy for the affordable units. Only after the fact did it emerge that de Blasio had also bundled in a generous gift to Blackstone’s uber-wealthy investors: a pledge to help extract unused development rights, worth a fortune in Manhattan, from the project. Large as both developments are, zoning laws would allow the property owner to build much bigger — and get much greater revenue — if the land were vacant. The next best thing would be to help the owner to move those development rights elsewhere — as de Blasio pledged to do. Encompassing as much as 1 million square feet of construction, the value of the rights has been estimated to be as high as $625 million. Consider the bonanza an additional subsidy for the affordable units and the price per unit becomes astronomical.

De Blasio’s latest announcement in his fight against homelessness and brave expressions of good intentions are theater by a panicking mayor who’s about to be shredded for ineffective management by the governor

Monday A surge in homelessness is bedeviling New York City. Dozens of homeless people interviewed by The AP this week made it clear that it will take more than the expanded outreach programs announced recently by the mayor and governor to bring them in from the cold.

Maybe panic willwork for de Blasio on homelessness (NYDN) Confronted with an embarrassing failure to deliver even a small measure of the relief he promised to the more than 58,000 New Yorkers living in homeless shelters, Mayor de Blasio retreated Friday to his comfort zone: the moral high ground. There he made extravagant new promises to vanquish homelessness in a campaign that will demand more mayoral mojo than he has ever shown — without offering a hint as to how he plans to get the job done. That’s because de Blasio’s brave expressions of good intentions were theater by a panicking mayor who’s about to be shredded for ineffective management by Gov. Cuomo. “There have been a number of times when we’ve been told it will get better but enough is enough,” said Cuomo, adding that he’ll focus on homelessness in his State of the State address this week. Last May, to take one example, de Blasio announced that “hundreds of special SWAT teams” would swoop into shelters to keep them in habitable repair, after the Department of Investigation issued a report finding facilities rife with dangerous conditions. The mayor also promised the creation of an online scorecard tracking every safety-code violation in every shelter. Eight months later, only 23 shelters out of almost 700 are accounted for, and those have 91 outstanding building and fire-code violations. Reviewing city inspectors’ own records, Controller Scott Stringer tallied an astonishing 18,704 health and safety code violations in 341 facilities housing children.

True News Saturdayde Deblasio Blames Everyone But Himself for His Own Bad Management of the Homeless A day after de Blasio was called out for failing on his commitment to have report cards for each homeless shelter the mayor blamed the past mayors for the problem. In the past he blamed Cuomo, the press and the past mayors

De Blasio blasts predecessors for homeless crisis (NYP) de Blasio lashed out at his predecessors Friday, claiming “the needs of poor people” had been ignored for decades by previous administrations because impoverished New Yorkers don’t have clout. “I think for a long, long time in our society, the needs of poor people have been ignored. I think a lot of people’s problems were swept under the rug,” he said at a Midtown press conference (right) announcing the funding of 300 more youth-shelter beds over the next three years. “I think in the crass political world, these were people who, quote-unquote, didn’t vote and therefore they didn’t matter to some people. I think that’s sick, but I think that’s real.”While de Blasio spent his early months in office showcasing his reversals of Bloomberg policies, he has lately been making overtures to the billionaire. But on Friday, he drew a sharp distinction from his predecessors by claiming his administration was the first to take ownership of many festering issues.

“I think, honestly, a mayor should be held accountable. I feel there’s a blunt, very, very clear parallel to the reality of RikersIsland, to the reality with our public-housing developments, to the reality in our schools,” de Blasio said. Bloomberg, who committed to staying mum on city politics after leaving office in December 2013, declined to comment. But his former communications director, Bill Cunningham, invoked Shakespeare to suggest de Blasio was playing a blame game. “Methinks he doth protest too much,” said Cunningham, now a political consultant. “In 2016, people who are part of my administration will feel the lash, because if we make a commitment, we’re keeping it,” de Blasio said. “Anyone who doesn’t keep it is going to have a problem with me. And I will happily change people’s roles if I have to do that.” In recent weeks, his deputy mayor for social services quit and the homeless-services commissioner was sidelined amid criticism of the administration’s handling of homelessness.

* Ernest Logan, the president of New York City’s principals’ union, said he had lost confidence in de Blasio because his administration has made its school turnaround effort too political, the Timesreports: * Ernest A. Logan, the president of the union that represents NYC’s principals and assistant principals, says he and and his members have lost confidence in NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration, calling the mayor’s school turnaround effort “a political mess” that isn’t focused on kids. -- Principals union sours on De Blasio -- Times' Kate Taylor: "When Mayor Bill de Blasio took office, it seemed like the start of a bright new day in the relationship between City Hall and the people who run New York City's schools. Rather than close struggling schools, as his predecessor Michael R. Bloomberg had done, Mr. de Blasio promised to support them. In November 2014, he and his schools chancellor, Carmen Fariña,announced a program to funnel resources, training and social services into 94 of the lowest-performing schools. At the time, Ernest A. Logan, the president of the union that represents the city's principals and assistant principals, lauded Mr. de Blasio, saying that the initiative demonstrated a 'philosophy of collaboration over competition' and reflected 'the deeply held values of most of our school leaders. ... Now, however, Mr. Logan says he - and by extension, the 6,000 members of the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators - has lost confidence in the de Blasio administration. In a column to be published in the union's newsletter this month, Mr. Logan writes of the Education Department, 'Sadly, in the timeworn tradition of the D.O.E., there are so many cooks running around in the kitchen, the chefs don't know what kind of dish they're concocting.'" BONUS QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I think a majority of them would say they probably had a better shot of being able to effectively do their job under the old administration." -- Ernie Logan, president of the principal's union

de Blasio Even Blamed His Own Staff As Cuomo Plans to Fix the City's Homeless Problem

None of dozens of homeless people interviewed said they’d been approached by outreach workers de Blasio said he would be dispatching to the streets to persuade this population to come indoors, The Associated Pressreports

Mayor de Blasio vowsto 'turn the tide' on homelessness as Gov. Cuomo prepares new plan (NYDN) De Blasio also said Friday that he was upset that his administration did not follow through with plans to give homeless shelters letter grades like restaurants, something he pledged to do in May. NY1 first reported that the grades weren’t released last year as promised. “It’s unacceptable to me that those scorecards were not prepared,” he said. “We made a commitment to do it. ... The people who are part of my administration will feel the lash.” Cuomo Attacks: Says He Will Solve the Homeless Crisis Calling it a “scandal” that’s gone on for too long, Mayor de Blasio on Friday vowed once again to “turn the tide” on homelessness — at the same time his enemy Gov. Cuomo vowed to lay out his own agenda to combat the problem. De Blasio, speaking at a shelter for homeless young people in Hell’s Kitchen, said the problem of homelessness has gone on for decades with little attention — suggesting that previous mayors were also to blame. Earlier in the day, Cuomo said he was going to address the city’s homeless crisis in his state of the state address next week. “It is a sad, sad failure that we have people who in this day and age we leave on the streets,” said Cuomo. * In his fight against the homelessness crisis, de Blasio announced a plan to add 300 beds in shelters for older teenagers, a group advocates say is underserved, with 100 new beds a year over the next three years, the Times writes: * My Predecessors AreAlso Reponsible For Homelessness Crisis: De Blasio (DNAINFO) * As de Blasio worried about what Cuomo will do onhomelessness, he criticizes predecessors and cultivates advocates:(WSJ)

Both Cuomo and de Blasio Agree Their Fight Their Governing is All About Them

Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio’s rift is now undisguised mutual loathing, and nearly every day the two men act out another scene in one of the most curious and entertaining political psychodramas of our time, the Post’s Kyle Smith writes in The Wall Street Journal:

de Blasio Defends His Record On Failing Schools

De Blasio pushes back against principals’ complaints over failing schools (NYP) Mayor de Blasio pushed back Thursday agaiDenst complaints by principals-union President Ernie Logan over how the city is running its lowest-performing schools, arguing he was elected to implement a “different vision” than his predecessor. In a public letter to his members this week, Logan complained that there were too many bureaucratic cooks in the kitchen at the 94 so-called Renewal Schools, and that principals don’t have nearly as much autonomy as they did under former Mayor Mike Bloomberg. But de Blasio fired back that he was picked for mayor because of his education platform. “If anyone says they would prefer the previous administration’s model, well, they should have voted for that. We have a different vision,” de Blasio said at the high-performing HS for Arts &amp; Business in Queens. * De Blasio pushed back against complaints by principals-union President Ernie Logan over how the city is running its lowest-performing schools, arguing he was elected to implement a “different vision” than his predecessor.

de Blasio Caught At Making Nice to Flanagan At the Same Time He is Trying to Defeat Him- Meeting Off

Mayor School Control On the Table

Mayor deBlasio’s plans to make nice with state Legislature foiled again (NYDN) New Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan was set to meet face-to-face with the mayor a week after Christmas. But Flanagan is said to have abruptly canceled the sit-down after it was reported that de Blasio was still working behind the scenes to help the Democrats claim control of the Senate in the upcoming November elections. De Blasio had previously stated he would be taking a more low-key approach to the races after he gambled big on the Democrats in 2014 and lost, leaving the Senate GOP even more hostile to his agenda. "The mayor doesn't get it and he probably never will," a state government source said. "He has no allies in Albany, he is toxic in most parts of the state and on top of all that he shows that he can't be trusted. Why would anyone want to work with him? "*

"We have a list of rules reforms that Assembly Democrats voted down. Term limits for legislative leaders. Term limits for committee chairs.

NYP Attempts to Tie de Blasio Management Abilities Into Dinkins

Lazy de Blasio is completely tone-deaf to the city’s needs (NYP) The good news is that Bill de Blasio finally concedes he has a problem. The bad news is that he thinks the problem is he isn’t spending enough time telling us how wonderful he is. “Mayor de Blasio Still Trying, Fitfully, to Promote Himself,” ran a waggish headline in The New York Times last week. (Warning to progressives: If the Times is starting to sound skeptical about you, it’s like you’re the baby whose mom says you’re not that cute.) “Facing the lowest approval ratings of his tenure, as well as questions about his re-election chances,” the Times noted, “Mr. de Blasio has said the problem is packaging, not substance. He has stood fast on his liberal policies, saying he is convinced that he is changing New Yorkers’ lives for the better.” His determination to “change the status quo?” He needs to “communicate it right,” he said last week. Homelessness? “I have not communicated sufficiently.” His dopey “affordable housing” plan? “We’re not explaining it well enough.”

De Blasio’s excuse-making has a familiar ring for those who remember the last failed mayor. “The mayor and his aides have repeatedly contended that their actions have been perceived as inept or fumbling because they have not adequately explained what they were doing or why,” explained the Times on Feb. 14, 1991 — 13¹/₂ months into the disastrous David Dinkins administration. “I think we’ve said we’ve got to get our message out better,” Deputy Mayor Bill Lynch, Dinkins’ chief political aide, said at the time. “The vehicles we’ve used haven’t gotten the message out clearly, so we’re going to the people.” De Blasio’s approval rating was at 38 percent in a November Marist poll, 44 percent in a mid-November New York Times poll. De Blasio’s incessant use of the word “transcendent” to describe his policy ideas doesn’t seem to be enough.

The Making History Peoples History Press Releases Tang

Lazy B’s press releases carry that Moscow tang also. Instead of imparting information, the publicity office is busily churning out happy-talk blurb-sheets like this “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE” classic from Dec. 17: “REACTIONS FROM ELECTED OFFICIALS, HOMELESS SERVICES LEADERS TO MAYOR DE BLASIO’S UNVEILING OF HOME-STAT.” That’s right, Home-Stat. Because suddenly the mayor’s office is going to start taking homelessness as seriously as it takes crime? Do whatever you want with the Home-Stat, just let us know when there is no longer a deranged half-naked man in a blanket wandering around shouting at people near the bus stop at 83rd and Broadway as has been the case for months

de Blasio Returns to Albany New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, bruised from a tough second year in office, must now prepare to return to Albany, the site where many of his troubles began, The Associated Press reports: http://goo.gl/Ierb3Y

Nobody Asked Me But:

de Blasio It Obsessed With Getting Rid of the Horse Carriage to Cover-Up His 2013 Election Fraud With NYCLASSDe Blasio has been obsessed with getting rid of Central Park’s horse carriages since before he was mayor — and the bizarre quest points at his every weakness, Nicole Gelinas writes for the Post:

GOP Flanagan Will Meet With de Blasio to Avoid A Not Meet Bigger Story . . . The Two Have A Death Match for Senate Control in 10 Months

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio will be in Albany today to testify before a joint legislative budget hearing, and Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan has (finally) agreed to meet with the Democratic executive while he’s in town.

Vague de Blasio admits he’s made some mistakes (NYP) “It’s pretty obvious that some things, you know, worked as we hoped and other things didn’t,” he told reporters at an end-of-year City Hall roundtable. On the political front, de Blasio declined to take back his stinging public criticisms of Gov. Cuomo. “The formulation I keep invoking is that when the governor, or anybody in Albany, helps New York City, I will praise them, I will support them in that, I will thank them, and when they don’t support New York City’s interests, I’ll say it,” de Blasio said.* * In a roundtable with reporters New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio admitted he had made mistakes in his first two years in office but spoke optimisticly about his agenda for the next two years of his term,NY1 reports: * In an end-of-the-year sit-down with reporters, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasioacknowledged mistakes over the past 12 months but said his decision to publicly skewer Gov. Andrew Cuomo, sparking a battle that continues today, was not one of them.* @BilldeBlasio: "My job is tomake fewer and fewer mistakes. My job is to always learn from everything"

Even de Blasio knows he’s been a lousy mayor (NYP)Mayor de Blasioconceded on Friday that his administration “needs improvement” as it approaches the halfway mark of his four-year term. A lot needs improvement, I’m very clear about that,” the mayor said on WNYC radio when asked to give himself a midterm grade. “And that’s the way I think about myself and my work and the work of the administration,” he added. “We have to constantly work to get better. I’m very humbled about that fact.”The mayor, who spent the week tackling the homelessness crisis he had been criticized for not acknowledging sooner,also named a host of big-ticket items he’s proud of, including the expansion of full-day pre-K, improvements in public safety, and the financing of 30,000 units of affordable housing. “Although I’m pleased that we’ve made some real progress . . . and we’ve started some very, very big initiatives, I don’t feel any sense of resting on laurels,” said de Blasio. “I feel a sense of, there’s a whole lot more work to do.”

2015 de Blasio Forgetaboutit

2015 Year in Review: A Bruising Year for de Blasio (WSJ)New York City’s mayor spent much of his second year in office enmeshed in fights even as his team sought to highlight his work in expanding prekindergarten, developing affordable apartments and other issues.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s second year in office was dominated by a series of bruising political fights and a continual struggle to control the perception of crime, homelessness and the city’s quality of life. Through much of 2015, the 54-year-old Mr. de Blasio found himself mired in public conflict, with police union leaders, executives of Uber and, most visibly, with fellow Democrat Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The midpoint of the mayor’s four-year term finds him contending with poll results that indicate many voters disapprove of his leadership and many simply dislike him—a finding that confounds some of his advisers. A deep racial gap has persisted, with white voters overwhelmingly disliking the mayor and black voters liking him. For many seasoned observers of City Hall, Year Two of the de Blasio era displayed his administration’s inability to maneuver well when attacked. For them, it came as a surprise because Mr. de Blasio has built a reputation over the past two decades as a savvy veteran of the city’s political scene.

Mayor de Blasio can’t recall his mistakes – so here’s a list to help him (NYP Ed) “I would have to think about that and come back with a coherent answer,” he said. That was Nov. 3. “I’m not in the business of dwelling on the past,” he said. But, “it’s pretty obvious that some things, you know, worked as we hoped, and other things didn’t.” True, anyone with a record as awful as his wouldn’t want to “dwell” on it. But there’s no other way to learn from mistakes. So as a service to the mayor, and to readers, herewith is a brief sample of Hizzoner’s biggest blunders during his first two years as mayor.

Fighting charter schools: De Blasio’s effort to deny space to charters sparked a new state law forcing him to find room — or pay their rent.

Pushing to ban carriage horses: City Council members refused to support him because drivers would’ve lost their jobs — and, despite his claims, the horses are treated well anyway.

Fueling anger at cops: He backed a lawsuit slurring cops as racist, treated cop-hating Rev. Al Sharpton as co-police commissioner and, as anti-cop hatred grew, described how he’d warned his biracial son to be careful around cops, implying they’re racist. Two NYPD officers were later targeted and slain by a madman seeking revenge against the police, and cops turned their backs on de Blasio at three public events.

Pushing to cap Uber’s growth: To protect the powerful taxi monopoly, de Blasio tried to freeze the number of Uber cars. But New Yorkers love the app-based service, and his effort crashed and burned.

Refusing to close failing schools: De Blasio gave 94 long-dysfunctional schools three years to turn around. Only a year later, he’s already closing three. But scores of others remain open, trapping kids.

Denying the homeless crisis: When The Post spotlighted the growing number of homeless, and bums relieving themselves in broad daylight, he told folks not to believe their lying eyes — that the ranks of the homeless were actually dropping. Fortunately, he’s since done a 180 on that one.

Pushing his national image at New York’s expense: To boost his profile and agenda, de Blasio left the city so often it seemed like he was gone more than he was here. That effort blew up when a forum he planned for presidential wannabes failed to draw participants.

Attacking GOP candidates in the 2014 state Senate elections. With Republicans holding a majority of Senate seats, that brilliant move helped push the chamber to reject de Blasio’s legislative agenda — including permanent mayoral control of the schools.

De Blasio’s next town hall is ‘open to the public’ — with a catch (NYP Ed) Well, Mayor de Blasio’s next “town hall” won’t be as clearly rigged as the dog-and-pony show he put on last time, which was by invitation only. But don’t think for a moment that Thursday night’s session at PS 69 in JacksonHeights actually qualifies as a genuine town hall. The mayor’s office claims the community gathering is open to the public. But — surprise, surprise! — there’s a catch. You can’t just show up. You must first register with the office of City Councilman Daniel Dromm, a teachers union lackey, who’s keeping a list of who’ll be let in. Space is limited, runs the official excuse. Bull. Mayors Ed Koch, Rudy Giuliani and Mike Bloomberg all held regular town-hall gatherings — meetings truly open to all, on a first-come, first-served basis.*

While Still Excluding City Hall Reporters and Public in Real Town Hall Meetings

De Blasio has done more than 30 talk radio appearances in the past three months, engaging in the sort of banter rarely heard in his news conferences while continuing to limit interactions with the press, The WallStreet Journal reports: * In hopes of lifting his ratings, de Blasio has become a mainstay on talk radio, engaging in the sort of banter rarely heard in his news conferences. He has done more than 30 radio appearances in the past three months—more than during his first 20 months in office.

Bill de Blasio’s plot to be leader of progressive movement fizzles (NYP) This was to have been the year of Bill de Blasio — the year America’s mayor set out to tug urban progressivism center-stage and maybe become a movement superstar in the process. Didn’t work out. He’s the Democratic mayor of the greatest city in the world — and his party’s presumptive 2016 presidential nominee would choke on her tongue before she’d say his name in public. His aggressively progressive president doesn’t have, or appear even to want, his cellphone number. His Democratic governor piddles on him in public every chance he gets. Oh, and that Iowa caucus for party progressives he called to shape movement messaging? Cancelled due to lack of progressives.*

City pension boss gave her ex-girlfriend cushy $127K gig(NYP) Diane D’Alessandro, executive director of the New York City Employees’ Retirement System, gave her ex-flame Ellen Carton a $127,000-a-year job as deputy director of human resources.* Bob McManus: “This was to have been the year of Bill de Blasio — the year America’s mayor set out to tug urban progressivism center-stage and maybe become a movement superstar in the process. Didn’t work out.”

New York City to Close 3 Troubled Public Schools in Brooklyn (NYT) It is the first time Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration has elected to shut down any noncharter public schools.* New York Regents Vote to Exclude State Tests in Teacher Evaluations (NYT) The board, which was acting on a report from a task force created by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, also heard recommendations for addressing problems at a RocklandCounty school system.*An open-and-shut case: Better late than never, de Blasiomoves to close three failing schools (NYDN Ed)* The de Blasio administration announced plans to close three poorly performing public schools for closure – a dramatic shift by the mayor, who ran for office promising to lift up failing schools rather than shut them. Flashback 2013Public Advocate Bill de Blasio defined school closures underthe Bloomberg administration as “a bankrupt policy,” * De Blasio aims to reverse education policies in New York (Wash Post)* Three NY schools down — scores more to go (NYP Ed) The mayor came into office promising to end Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s practice of shutting down horrible schools and reopening them with new management and staff. Instead of closing failure factories, Mayor de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña vowed to plunge more money into underperforming schools — particularly the ones that made it onto their Renewal Schools list — which would have three years to turn around. Fariña recently said that maybe some schools wouldn’t get three years, and she made good on that this week with the announcement she’d close two middle schools, PeaceAcademy and the UrbanAssemblySchool for the Urban Environment, and the FoundationsAcademy high school — all in Brooklyn. Better late than never — but also not enough. After all, out of nearly 100 Renewal schools, a mere three are being closed? In explaining the closures, the Department of Education cited three criteria: “low enrollment, performance issues and lack of demand from students and families.” Funny, measured that way, more than 80 more persistently failing schools, with 21,000 students, should be closed. Three bad schools with 212 students are shuttered — while 21,000 kids remain stuck in equally bad schools. A full 55 middle schools, with nearly 15,000 students, had lower state test scores for third- through eighth-graders than did PeaceAcademy and the UrbanAssemblySchool. Twenty-five schools — with more than 7,000 students — had lower college-readiness scores than the FoundationsAcademy. The de Blasio administration can’t say it doesn’t have the numbers. By its own “failure criteria,” it’s made a conscious decision to keep 21,000 students stuck in failing schools.

Daily News Calls de Blasio A Dreamer

He is Just A Campaign Manager, Media Spinner With Poor Management Skills

Bill the dreamer:Comparing de Blasio's grand plans with his real-world results (NYDN Ed) Three polls since August have cast harsh verdicts on Mayor de Blasio’s record in improving the city’s quality of life. As he nears the midpoint of his term, the surveys indicate that New Yorkers want a mayor who delivers more. Three polls since August have cast harsh verdicts on Mayor de Blasio’s record in improving the city’s quality of life. As he nears the midpoint of his term, the surveys indicate that New Yorkers want a mayor who delivers more.

Failed At Homelessness Running for election, de Blasio vowed wholesale reforms aimed at diminishing chronic homelessness. Instead, he has presided over a growing shelter population and was caught unaware by a surge in street homelessness.* Homeless squatters are taking over LaGuardia Airport (NYP)

Failed At Affordable Housing In the same speech, de Blasio reiterated plans to create 80,000 units of affordable housing over the next 10 years. To depict his plan as supercharged compared with Michael Bloomberg’s, he added the tools of mandatory inclusionary zoning and enriched 421-a tax breaks to require inclusion of affordable units in all projects benefiting. But de Blasio’s 421-a plan has foundered in a wage stalemate between developers and construction unions, while most community planning boards have called for rejecting zoning changes that would mandate set-asides of affordable apartments when the city allows development of bigger buildings.* Affordable housing activists worry mayor's rezoning planwill create "a 'Tale of Two Cities' 2.0""

Failed At NYPD Repairs and Safety Similarly epochal are the mayor’s plans to rehabilitate crumbling public housing. He’s off to a start with a $300 million commitment to replace NYCHA roofs and coaxed $100 million more from the governor. But his larger goals rely on wringing revenue through private development on NYCHA land. Treading timidly, he started with just two sites, met tenant pushback and threw plans into lengthy and legally unnecessary public review.

Meantime, the Department of Investigation found that felons nest in NYCHA apartments with impunity because management is incompetent at rooting them out even when alerted by the police department. No surprise that crime rates in NYCHA developments remain stubbornly worse than citywide trends.

Failed At Fixing the Schools On the schools front, while campaigning for election, de Blasio pledged that every third grader would read at grade level. In 2014, Chancellor Carmen Fariña went further at a meeting with the Daily News Editorial Board. “I have a higher goal than that. I want to see every second grader on grade level,” she said, adding, “It’s not going to happen overnight, but I would say over the next few years.” ince then, de Blasio and Fariña have moved the pie down the sky. They envision getting two-thirds of second graders up to speed within six years, assuming one or both of the officials remains on the job, and boosting 100% of the kids to grade level by 2026, when both will be gone. De Blasio has also promised that all eighth-graders will have access to algebra classes by 2022 — when now just over half of the city’s high schoolers pass the Algebra Regents exam.

Freedom of the Press

Thomas Jefferson Vs de Blasio: I Do Not Get Paid to Answer Media Questions

Confirming a strategy he had been executing for several months, Mayor Bill de Blasio said this afternoon he would cut down on the number of opportunities City Hall beat reporters would have to ask him questions–opting instead for more radio and TV interviews, as well as town halls. * De Blasio spends an hour talking to reporters, vows not to do it again (NYP) Accused of ducking the press, Mayor de Blasio opened himself to an unprecedented 54 minutes of grilling from reporters on Friday — but warned not to expect a repeat. Instead, the mayor said he’d continue with a recent shift from fielding questions from reporters on any topic toward more radio, TV and town-hall appearances where he can speak directly to the public. “I know you know this: I have a job to do. Much more important than giving the answers to questions is actually doing the work,” the mayor said at City Hall when asked to explain the new strategy. A Constitutional Crisis At City Hall

THE MAYOR WHO WANTS TO TELL REPORTERS WHAT QUESTIONS HE’LL PERMIT THEM TO ASK By Gabe Pressman

Mayor DeBlasio has tangled with a reporter, Marcia Kramer, over whether she had a right to ask him a question. The Mayor who promised to run a “transparent” administration has done the opposite. He insists on setting the agenda for his press conferences. He gives us the topic and then assesses each question. If it’s something he doesn’t want to discuss, he admonishes the reporter to stay “on topic.” I’ve been covering press conferences at City Hall for 60 years---and never has a Mayor had the temerity to enforce an agenda on journalists. This Mayor who proclaims he is a “progressive” is anything but. The word “retrogressive” might be a better fit. He needs a lesson in the history of freedom of the press in NY John Peter Zenger went to jail for criticizing the English governor of New York. That happened 300 years ago and, if it were not for Zenger, the principle of freedom of the press might never have been embedded in our constitution. Zenger, a half-literate German-born printer, was a true progressive.

Those Wonderful People Who Gave Us Failed Schools, A Broken NYCHA and Homeless Gentrification City Council Wants 71% Raise

Monday Update

What the Council’sworth: How to raise the pay of New York City's legislature (NYDN Ed) De Blasio, Mark-Viverito and the rest should take their cue from subway fares. Often in the past, fearful governors and mayors let long periods of time pass between hikes, ultimately necessitating big hits to straphangers. More recently, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has stuck with inflation-based increase every two years. The pain arrives in an orderly, measure way with comparatively little public upset. So, ban lulus and establish a four-year schedule of prospective raises pegged to inflation and be done with it.

True News Tuesday Mets Manager Takes Blame for Losing Series When Was the Last Time A Pol Took the Blame for Homelessness Bad Schools?

True News Wags Daily News On Where de Blasio's Buck Stops

Wednesday Update: The buck stops withBill de Blasio: What the mayor should learn from rough new poll numbers(NYDN Ed) In May, he complained to Rolling Stone that “a lot of people outside New York City understand what happened in (his) first year of New York City better than people in New York City.” In September, he stopped blaming New Yorkers directly, and started blaming the media for confusing New Yorkers about the state of the city. “I don’t curse the darkness here,” he told the Daily News Editorial Board. “I don’t say, ‘Oh, why doesn’t the public see through it?’ I’m actually sympathetic — that if you hear the same message over and over again, it affects your judgment.” “I think there is a gap between reality and perception,” he said. “And I have to constantly take responsibility. If I got all this product and I’m not making it clear enough to people, of course that’s on me.” And now cotton candy, plus mayoral determination to get better at “explaining to people how (his progressive) vision is affecting their lives.” Politicians seek good PR, but poor messaging hardly explains why the public has soured on de Blasio’s handling of crime (32% approval), police-community relations (34% approval), schools (35% approval), and poverty and homelessness (28% approval) The Daily News writes that de Blasio’s low poll numbers are not “evaporating” and that almost halfway through his first term, they show discontent is lasting

It Took A Fall In Poll Numbers for the Press to Go After de Blasio

De Blasio’s insistence on “on-topic” versus “off-topic” questions is a break from his predecessors, and the mayor should remember the press is not his enemy, Josh Robin writes in the Daily News:

Also good to remember: NYT and WSJ reporters get far more 1 on 1 interviews with this mayor than other news outlets

The Real Tale of Two City's: Poll Whites Hate de Blasio Black and Hispanic Still Hanging In

Mayor de Blasio Has Lost Support of White New Yorkers, PollFinds (NYT) Just 28 percent of white New Yorkers approve of the mayor’s performance, and 59 percent now disapprove, up sharply from the start of his term, according to a citywide poll conducted by The New York Times and Siena College. Nearly half say that the city is a worse place to live under his watch — only 9 percent say it is better — and 51 percent say New York is now less safe, even as crime statistics reach historic lows. Over all, 52 percent of New Yorkers say the city is on the wrong track, including 62 percent of whites and 51 percent of Hispanics. Black residents are evenly split. In fact, by large margins, a majority of whites in Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn, the mayor’s home borough, now say they disapprove of Mr. de Blasio’s performance. Asked if he had strong leadership qualities, 36 percent of whites in Brooklyn said yes, and 56 percent said no. The mayor has no clear challenger in a re-election bid, and despite his standing with whites, Mr. de Blasio has more or less kept intact the coalition that elected him in 2013: He received positive approval ratings from 57 percent of black residents and 54 percent of Hispanic residents, and from 56 percent of self-described liberals. Still, a year ago, 70 percent of blacks and 60 percent of Hispanics expressed their approval. Now, only the barest majority of Democrats, 51 percent, approve of the mayor’s job performance. That base of support could be sorely tested if Mr. de Blasio remains deeply unpopular with whites.*

Most NYers think de Blasio is clueless on homeless crisis (NYP) More than three out of five New Yorkers give Mayor de Blasio a big thumbs-down for his handling of the city’s homeless crisis and lack of affordable housing, a poll shows. The citywide survey, conducted by SienaCollege and The New York Times, was the latest in a series of polls released over the past year in which Hizzoner scored lousy grades from voters. Thirty-three percent believe the city is less safe than when he became mayor, and 52 percent believe there has been no change. Bratton had a 52 percent to 31 percent approval/disapproval rating, compared with 43 percent to 40 percent last December. Bratton had a 52 percent to 31 percent approval/disapproval rating, compared with 43 percent to 40 percent last December.An October Quinnipiac poll also battered the mayor. It found that 48 percent of voters gave a thumbs-down to a de Blasio second term, compared with 42 percent who want him to return for another four years.* Sheldon Silver’s merry-go-round of lies has no end (NYP)Sheldon Silver’s merry-go-round of lies has no end (NYP) The merry-go-round of (alleged) corruption in the case of Sheldon Silver took another spin Tuesday when a leading real-estate developer testified that the ex-Assembly speaker’s friend Jay Arthur Goldberg nudged him to lie about knowing that Silver was receiving a cut of Goldberg’s fees for legal work related to reducing tax assessments.* A New York Times/Siena College poll found 44 percent ofNew Yorkers approve of the job New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is doing, but 38 percent disapprove, and one-third say the issue he should focus on is crime: (NYT)* * White New Yorkers have long been cool to de Blasio, but he has now decisively lost that group, which challenges an assumption of his political strategy - that moderate white voters have lost much of their electoral influence, the Times reports: *Why is de Blasio alienating white voters? Because theylive in the city he doesn't care about. NYT poll analysis (CrainsNY)* When asked about quality of public schools under @BilldeBlasio, 49% of NYers polleddisapprove. * Half of New Yorkers Say They Are Barely or Not Getting By, Poll Shows (NYT) The survey showed great differences in perceptions of the quality of life in the city’s five boroughs, but it found that economic anxiety was widespread.* A New York Times/Siena College poll found 49 percent of New York Cityresidents say they are doing alright or living comfortably when asked how they are managing financially, but one in five have struggled to buy food or housing over the last year: * Half of New York City residents say they are struggling economically, making ends meet just barely, if at all, and most feel sharp uncertainty about the future of the city’s next generation, a new poll shows.

Mayor 15 Year Plan to House the Homeless As the NYT Stand By Their Man de Blasio

Bill puts up the money(NYDN Ed) No one can now say that Mayor de Blasio stands by idly as the mentally ill homeless sleep on subway grates. On Wednesday, he announced a $3 billion commitment to house and serve 15,000 suffering souls over the coming 15 years.*

City creating 15K units of supportive housing (NYP) * City Moves Forward Without the State to Build Housing for the Homeless(NYO)*New York’s Rise in Homelessness Went Against National Trend, U.S. Report Finds(NYT) An annual homelessness report by the federal government found that New York’s homeless people accounted for 14 percent of the national total *Tackling the Homeless Crisis, Without Mr. CuomoNYT EDITORIAL BOARD The ill will between Mayor Bill de Blasio and the governor makes it harder to find a solution to homelessness in New York City.* The NYT saysthat in a “better world” de Blasio and Cuomo would work together to address homelessness in the city, but they “are stuck in a malfunctioning relationship that has turned once-routine city-state partnerships and problem-solving exercises into an unusually fraught psychodrama.”* Asked in a radio interview to describe his greatest failure in office, de Blasio said he “didn’t explain to people well enough what we were doing to address homelessness,” though he was proud of the efforts, theDaily News writes*De Blasio said failing to get ahead of the city’s homelessness problem and explain it to New Yorkers is the biggest mistake he has made so far in office.

NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton said homelessness in New York City had “exploded” over the past two years but praised City Hall’s efforts to create housing and curb substance abuse, the Wall Street Journal reports: * The federal government’s annual homelessness count showed an increase in New Yorkers living on the streets or in shelters, even as the number of homeless people nationwide dipped slightly compared with the previous year.

But Still No Cause Given

.The Homeless Have Become the Victims of the Shadow Govt Lobbyists Pushing 421-a and Airbnb

Despite Vow, Mayor de Blasio Struggles to Stop Surge in Homelessness (NYT) By one key measure after another, homelessness in New York City has worsened over the last two years. The number of people entering city shelters has increased under Mayor Bill de Blasio, and when they enter the system, people are staying longer, striking markers of a crisis that has forced its way to the top of the mayor’s agenda. Many people across New York believe the city is experiencing an epidemic of street homelessness. Mayor Bill de Blasio, the embattled liberal steward of a city in which people have a legal right to shelter, has disputed this. And in another troubling sign, the number of families re-entering shelters within a year of leaving is increasing as well. “An ever-growing homeless population is unacceptable to the future of New York City,” he said. “It will not happen under our watch.” But it has happened.

De Blasio seeking new speech writerafter media snafus (NYP) Mayor de Blasio is looking for a progressive speech writer as he retools his media strategy. A job listing posted Thursday on idealist.org revealed that Hizzoner wants to hire a “senior speech writer” who will serve as a “key member of the team responsible for communicating the administration’s vision, mission and policies to New Yorkers.” The ideal candidate will also be expected to “refine facts and messaging” and finalize “event remarks, policy speeches, op-eds, press statements‎ [and] social media copy.” The mayor’s revamped plans follow the New York Press Club accusing him of being “retrogressive” to reporters.

NYC Real Estate Barrons' Found Their Puppet A Progressive Mayor to Gentrify East New York

The study, "The Effects of Neighborhood Change on NYCHA Residents," written by the consulting firm Abt Associates with help from New York University's Furman Center for Real Estate, found that NYCHA tenants often wind up feeling like aliens in their own neighborhoods, surrounded by newcomers who claimed they'd just "discovered" the neighborhood. “NYCHA residents could be priced out of new private amenities and new, higher-income neighbors may not contribute to accessible community resources,” the report reads.* * New York City hired five NYCHA residents as urban “interpreters” who gathered information for a $250,000 report that concluded most New Yorkers already accept as true: gentrification doesn't help the poor,the Daily News reportsde Blasio Spins BackThe city's voluntary inclusionary housing program, which rewards developers who set aside apartments for low rents, yielded more than triple the number of units in fiscal year 2015 than it did previous year,Politico New York reports:

Roosevelt A Real Progressive for the People, de Blasio Spin Progressive While Shilling for Real Estate, Pushing New Yorkers Out of Their Homes

Because the Campaign for One New York is a nonprofit and isn’t a re-election account tied directly to the mayor, donors aren’t required to follow the city’s campaign-finance laws that limit donations to candidates. Many developers and others in the industry said they were skeptical of Mr. de Blasio at first but have grown increasingly satisfied with his positions, including his work on behalf of 421-a. In 2015, the group’s focus shifted to Mr. de Blasio’s national agenda. Among the expenditures: more than $150,000 to AKPD Media, where Mr. de Blasio’s political consultant John Del Cecato is crafting his national agenda and about $140,000 to Mr. de Blasio’s polling and research firm. About $100,000 went to Hilltop Public Solutions, where de Blasio campaign manager Bill Hyers works. The group also spent more than $60,000 with Berlin Rosen, a firm run by de Blasio ally Jonathan Rosen that also represents real-estate companies. The group has paid for the mayor’s travel to San Francisco, hotel rooms in Milwaukee and travel to Iowa and Washington, D.C. Last week, the Progressive Agenda Committee, a group sponsoring the mayor’s Iowa forum, said it would create another account to collect contributions. The Campaign for One New York can accept donations through limited-liability corporations, which shroud identities. One of the biggest givers, Two Trees Development, gave $100,000 through a limited liability company. Two Trees is developing the Domino Sugar refinery in Brooklyn and other sites. At least some entities contributed to the Campaign for One New York as they also paid representatives to lobby City Hall, a practice that is legal but also has been criticized by Mr. Horner and others. Toll Brothers spent $32,000 to lobby City Hall, but also gave $25,000 to the Campaign for One New York. In a statement, a spokesman said the firm gave because it supported affordable housing. Property Markets Group, which spent more than $80,000 to lobby City Hall in 2015, gave $5,000 to the Campaign for One New York. One of the firm’s lobbyists, James Capalino, also gave $10,000. He didn’t return a request for comment. Madd Equities, which spent $37,500 in lobbying city council members, gave the Campaign for One New York $10,000. The firm didn’t return a request for comment. Longtime real-estate developer Steven Nislick, who wants to ban horse carriages in New York and has funded the group NYCLASS, gave Mr. de Blasio $50,000. He declined to comment.*When 65% of NYC voters oppose carriage ban, only route for Nyclass is to buy Mayor's support with $50,000via@WSJ

By Blaming the PBA for the 1% Proposal de Blasio Damaging Any Relationship He Has With Cops

Labor Victory at a Price (WSJ)Mayor Bill de Blasio’s apparent victory this week in labor negotiations with New York City’s biggest police union could reignite tensions with a group he has worked hard to placate in recent months. *

* As Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association President Pat Lynch criticized de Blasio for a draft contract with his union, the mayor said Lynch’s views don’t reflect the opinions of the whole department, Politico New York writes:

Does de Blasio Still Think Silver is A Man of Integrity Like He Said Last January?

"He picked the people's pocket to line his own" - from opening arguments against ex-Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (DNAINFO) Sitting in the back row for the opening of the Silver corruption trial: Preet Bharara. Key phrase in opening statement from Sheldon Silver's attorney at his federal corruption trial: "No corrupt intent." Another surprise guest during opening statements at Sheldon Silvertrial: one of the Assistant U.S attorneys prosecuting Dean Skelos's case. * Here's a full post on this morning's court action by @bcolbyhamilton: Openings paint two Sheldon Silvers * 'Power. Greed. Corruption.': Sheldon Silver's trial beginsNew York Post Former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver was ripped by the feds as the quintessential greedy lawless power broker on the first day of his corruption trial Tuesday — while his lawyer portrayed him as nothing less than a devoted public servant. * Prosecutors described former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver as someone who manipulated public trust, while his defense attorneys portrayed him as a conscientious official during opening statements at his corruption trial, The Wall Street Journal reports:)

De Blasio wasactually early to the Flight 587 memorial this year (NYP) Mayor de Blasio made sure to show up to a memorial service for Flight 587 a half-hour early Thursday morning — after the families of crash victims blasted him last year for arriving 20 minutes late. The often tardy mayor made it to the ceremony in the Rockaways at 8:05 a.m., then stayed in his car until 8:30 a.m., when he got out to mingle with families who lost loved ones in the 2001 plane crash. It was a much different scene than last year, when de Blasio infuriated relatives after being so late that he missed the reading of the names of the victims, which begins just after a bell is tolled at exactly 9:16 a.m., marking the moment the American Airlines flight went down.

Possible challenger blasts de Blasio’s out-of-town travels (NYP) The Congressman was tweaking Mayor de Blasio for planning a presidential forum in Iowa – while still not endorsing the woman who hired him to be her campaign manager in her New York Senate race 15 years ago. "It's not clear to me, however, that a town hall meeting in the corn fields of Iowa has anything to do with the quality of life of everyday New Yorkers," said Jeffries. * “He’s entitled to his own time­table, but it’s not clear to me that a town hall meeting in the cornfields of Iowa has anything to do with quality of life for people in New York City,” Jeffries said. “Many of my constituents are unclear as to why the mayor has made the decision to spend a significant amount of time out of state . * Cuomo attacks Sanders on Clinton’s behalf (PoliticoNY)* Gov. Andrew Cuomo boosted the presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton by criticizing her rival Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’s gun control record, State of Politicsreports: * While NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio remains conspicuously uncommitted in the presidential race, New York’s other top Democrats – including US Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and NYC Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito – are already putting in work on behalf of Hillary Clinton. * Cuomo, who has endorsed Clinton, attacked the gun control position taken by candidate Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders during the Democratic presidential debate

Boxing the Mayor In

Brooklyn Rep. Hakeem Jeffries announced his support for Clinton, and wondered by NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, who ran her 2000 campaign for the US Senate, isn’t doing the same. The congressman also said he’s not considering a 2017 run for mayor “at this point in time.”

Dead Cop Game Change In Hypocritical, CYA No Morality, No Shame NYC Politics

Bad Cases Make Bad Law

De Blasio faces rare skepticism from left on bail-reform plan (NYP) Mayor de Blasio’s bail-reform proposal — requiring judges to consider whether a defendant is a danger to society and not just a flight risk — could face its biggest hurdle from left-leaning state lawmakers who are usually his staunchest supporters in the Legislature. Liberal Assembly Democrats called de Blasio’s plan a “knee-jerk” response to the murder of Police Officer Randolph Holder and said the plan needed further study. “Terrible cases usually make bad law,” said Codes Committee Chairman Joe Lentol (D-Williamsburg). “You shouldn’t act as a result of a terrible case — it isn’t going to fit in every other case.” Lentol said most judges already weigh an offender’s threat to public safety when they set bail and that a law would be redundant.

After Death of Officer Holder Mayor and Speaker Triangulate Bail Lock Up Policies and Nothing About Courts and DA

de Blasio and Mark-Viverito Give Orwellian DoubleSpeak Answers to Bail 180 - No Investigation and Council Hearings

Bill toughensup on bail (NYDN Ed) A somber Mayor de Blasio on Friday called for overhauling New York’s bail and sentencing laws so the forces that set free the drug dealer accused of murdering Officer Randolph Holder can never again conspire to threaten public safety Far less helpfully, the mayor muddied churning waters by insisting on additional action to keep low-level defendants out of jail before trial. Although the concept was irrelevant to the public safety challenges exposed by Howard’s case, de Blasio declared the bail system “broken both in the way that we treat hardened criminals and how we treat first-time low-level offenders.”Consider it a call-and-response to the caucus that seeks to essentially eliminate bail for minor crimes, led by Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, who stood by de Blasio’s side Friday. While Howard’s gang and their rivals terrorized her East Harlem district while he was out on bail, she had busied the Council with a proposed bail fund for defendants who had been deemed by judges unlikely to show up for trials. You would never know that two in three prosecuted defendants are released on their own recognizance, with neither bail nor jail. Only when a judge deems a defendant a flight risk because of prior conduct does the law come down pre-trial. *

What New York’s cops need now after yet another officer’s killing (Lynch PBA, NYP Ed) When our city’s leaders face yet another opportunity to either support police officers or add to their burdens, which will they choose? Police officers want City Hall to be our partner in keeping New York safe. But that partnership can’t succeed if the only time officers feel their efforts are supported and their contributions valued is when one of us has made the ultimate sacrifice. If the partnership doesn’t succeed, there will be more grief. More New Yorkers and police officers will lose their lives. We simply can’t go on like that. It’s time for officials to take meaningful actions to show they support the police officers on the street.* The New YorkTimes writes that it was a wise move by Mayor Bill de Blasio to call for state action giving judges the power to factor in danger to the public, and not just flight risk, when setting bail: Before Murder of Officer HolderDe Blasio unveils no-bail plan for low-level crimes — even felonies (July, 8 2015, NYP) Starting next year, the $17.8 million program would let about 3,400 defendants charged with low-level, nonviolent offenses — including some felonies — be placed under “supervised release” instead of getting locked up. Police sources predicted it would lead to more crime, given the history of low-level offenders eventually escalating to violent felonies, including murder.* City Needs Bail Reform, de Blasio Says After Kalief Browder ... (June 8, 2015, NYO)

Homeless Deputy Mayor Ignored Quits Because Of A National Agenda Pursued That Also Failed

Deputy Mayor Barrios-Paoli quit the de Blasio administration because she was tired of being ignored by the mayor about the growing homelessness problem

Fed-up deputy mayor quits after being ‘ignored’ by de Blasio(NYP) The city’s top official on health and homelessness quit because she was tired of being ignored by a mayor more interested in boosting his national profile than attending to the city’s day-to-day concerns, sources said. Deputy Mayor Lilliam Barrios-Paoli worked for five mayors and oversaw seven city agencies under Mayor de Blasio — but she couldn’t get meetings with him, sources said. As the exploding homeless problem began capturing headlines over the summer, Barrios-Paoli said, “I told you so. If you’re not going to listen to anything I say, I’m out,” according to the source. The source added, “The mayor is so focused on national issues, he has not taken time to focus on ­local issues.” Bronx Assemblywoman Carmen Arroyo lambasted Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña for being disrespectful and unresponsive. “I cannot work with you,” the lawmaker fumed during an Albany hearing on Oct. 14. “I make a call to your office and nobody answers me.” She sat in on meetings with the mayor and senior staff 23 times in the first five months of 2015. By comparison, Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen, in charge of housing and economic development, convened with de Blasio 98 times. City Hall has not filled Barrios-Paoli’s position. “Shorris is pissed,” one political source said. “He’s getting all the health work she had. He’s annoyed she left, and he’s drowning in it.”

Voters say 48-42 percent that the mayor does not deserve re-election. There are signs of strength for Mr. de Blasio in the poll, particularly as he prepares to seek re-election. His approval rating is 61-30 percent among Democratic voters and primaries in New York are restricted to registered Democrats. Republicans, who are far outnumbered, disapprove of Mr. de Blasio 81-14 percent. In Quinnipiac’s poll of the primary field, Mr. de Blasio gets 41 percent, with 13 percent for Comptroller Scott Stringer, 7 percent for Congressman Hakeem Jeffries of Brooklyn and 4 percent for Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, who has all but ruled out herself for a 2017 bid. Two other rumored candidates, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and Public Advocate Letitia James, were left off the poll. In a general election match-up, de Blasio gets 48 percent against former NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly, a rumored 2013 candidate for mayor who never ran and has not indicated he would run again, and Michel Faulkner, a reverend and former NFL player. Mr. Kelly and Mr. Faulkner got 28 percent and 6 percent respectively, with 13 percent undecided.* .@QuinnipiacPoll: More than two years before he seeks re-election, @BilldeBlasio leads his potential opponents * Two years ahead of the next mayoral election, de Blasio leads all would-be challengers, though a third of democrats are still undecided, according to a newQuinnipiac University poll

Kramer Asks de Blasio Flack to Ask Questions, But She Does Not Ask Albany Lawmakers About the Silver Trial?

CBS2's Marcia Kramer Grills De Blasio Administration About Transparency (NYDN) Mayor de Blasio’s spokeswoman got into a heated confrontation with a TV reporter Wednesday after the mayor refused to answer questions about a homeless encampment in Soho. The showdown between Karen Hinton and WCBS/Channel 2 reporter Marcia Kramer came in the Blue Room of City Hall, once the mayor rushed out following a bill-signing ceremony and ignored questions Kramer directed at him.

She then approached Hinton to ask why she had been told the homeless encampment had been removed when it was still there. “It was not true information, was it?” Kramer demanded. “It was inaccurate information,” Hinton responded. “There’s a difference between inaccurate information and a lie.”* CBS2 political reporter Marcia Kramer went toe-to-toe with NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio’s press secretary Karen Hinton over the mayor’s refusal to take off topic questions from the City Hall press corps.

After True New Wags the NYP On How de Blasio Accused the Paper of Fear-Mongering the Tabloid is Still Half Asleep

De Blasio knew about homeless crisis even as he was denying it (NYP Ed) If you faulted Mayor de Blasio last summer for being ignorant of the spike in homelessness in the city, you gave him too much credit. Turns out Hizzoner was well aware of the crisis — even as he denied it. In fact, he’d been holding weekly emergency meetings on the issue all along, news reports this week said. Even while pooh-poohing the problem and denouncing “hype” from The Post, which ran stories and photos that documented the growing chaos. “The media has put a lot of attention on this issue,” he said back then. He asked if the focus was “proportionate to what’s happening,” insisting that “reality is a little different” than the news reports. It wasn’t — as he later admitted: In 2014, city homelessness set a record, at nearly 60,000. In August, 311 homeless complaints reportedly had spiked 60 percent under de Blasio. And The Post published hard evidence, including a front-page photo of one vagrant urinating right in the middle of the street.

On July 14th A Month After Secret Meetings on the Homeless Crisis de Blasio Said The Post Is Making Up the Increase Homeless Stories

* The New York City Independent Budget Office released a report showing spending on city homeless shelters grew 62 percent in the past eight years and is expected to amount to close to $1 billion this year, theDaily News reports: *

De Blasio HeldWeekly Meetings on Homeless While Publicly Denying Problem (DNAINFO) Mayor Bill de Blasio held a "Weekly Homeless Meeting" for months this summer with top city officials even as he publicly denied the city was experiencing a problem with homelessness, DNAinfo New York has learned. The mayor brushed that off saying he had inherited the homeless surge from his predecessor, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and blamed media coveragefor overplaying the issue. "I think the media has put a lot of attention on this issue lately, more than previously," de Blasio said then. But de Blasio had been meeting with city officials about the homeless issue as far back as June 5, according to Corporation Counsel Zachary Carter's schedule, a copy which DNAinfo obtained through a Freedom of Information Law request. The FOIL request covered the period through the end of July.

NY1's Louis Concerned That Lobbyist Have Manipulated and Comprised Journalism

Patrick Markee of the Coalition for the Homeless Who Hired Berlin Rosen, Who Bashed Cuomo Praised de Blasio is Married to Ratner's Daughter When NY1's Louis interviewed Patrick Markee, head of the Coalition for the Homeless he did no know that Berlin Rosen worked for them. Unregulated Berlin Rosen Will Lead to Foreign Control of New York's Government - A Silent Coup d'eta On Inside City Hall host Errol Louis in a discussion of the stations report on Berlin Rosen admitted that he was surprised at the reach of Berlin Rosen. He expressed concern that advocates that use the media might not be independent. He said he was shocked to lean that the Coalition for the Homeless which was blaming Cuomo for the increase the city's homeless hired Berlin Rosen as its consultant. Louis on NY1: "Last week when I interviewed the coalition for the homeless, I did not know they were a Berlin Rosen client. The report (the coalitions issued) goes out of their way to blame everyone but the mayor for the record high homelessness in the city. They talked (blamed) the governor and (blamed) at length the last past mayor. When I realized they were a client, I realized this is a problem not just for transparency and private sector clients not being registered lobbyist . . . this works both ways. Maybe we got advocates who are not independent advocates."

Brooklyn’s Cobble Hill neighborhoodisn’t givinggood reviews to a developer’s proposals for the Long IslandCollegeHospital site. Neither of the two plans include a full-service hospital, something that de Blasio once vowed he would fight for.

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De Blasio’s Stand on LICH Site Disheartens Brooklyn’s Cobble Hill Neighborhood (WSJ) Developer’s plans don’t include full-service hospital, something mayor once vowed he would fight for. In 2013, when Bill de Blasio was the city’s public advocate and campaigning for mayor, he wasarrested at a demonstration over the possible closure of Long IslandCollegeHospital in Brooklyn. “This is about fighting for our hospitals,” Mr. de Blasio said as he was led away in disposable plastic handcuffs. Now, as a developer brings forward two proposals to rebuild and expand the LICH site, Mr. de Blasio’s administration has been publicly and privately supportive of one of the plans, which would include new affordable apartments. Both proposals include tall towers in the low-rise Cobble Hill neighborhood, but neither include a full-service hospital. Rebecca Katz, a former aide in the de Blasio administration, is now working with the developer, Fortis Property Group LLC, to persuade a skeptical community to support one of the plans. At the 2014 news conference, Mr. de Blasio and others celebrated the decision that forced the State University of New York, which then owned the site, to put out a new request for proposals. LICH had reported annual operating losses for 17 consecutive years, according to a state audit. “This is a transcendent moment for health care in New York City,” said Mr. de Blasio, who took partial credit for keeping the “wolf from the door.” The hospital is now closed. Many in the community, however, aren’t happy. Theirs is a historic community of low-rise brownstones and townhouses. And while some blamed SUNY and the state for not doing more to save the hospital, they all remember Mr. de Blasio’s 2013 protest. “It was an exercise to help him get elected as mayor,” said Roy Sloane, a longtime former president of the Cobble Hill Association. “I don’t think he did anything to save LICH.” Franklin Stone, a longtime resident who also has served as association president, said many in the community supported affordable housing but felt that a large tower and a new school would clog an already packed neighborhood—and still leave residents needing more health care options.

de Blasio Campaign Manager Bill Hires' Hilltop Now Works for Deverloper on the Hospital Site

1. Hires: de Blasio Campaign Manager Who Uses Candidate Fake Arrest to Protest A Closing Hospital As A Prop

2. Once the Hospital is Closed Hires Who Works for the Mayor Slush Fund PAC One NY Uses It to Tell the Community That the Band Aid ER the Developer Agreed to Build is As Good As the Closed Hospital

3. Hires: Sell A Large Development to Replace te Closed to A Community Who Opposes It*

In the Name of Diversity de Blasio Accomplished What the British and Tories Could Not Do Throw George Washington Thrown Out of New York

Is This Any Way to Honor the Nations First Capital

The de Blasios have dumpedportraits of George Washington and others from GracieMansion to add more diversity to the artwork hanging in his residence. A new installation will include pictures of famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass and former slave-turned-philanthropist Pierre Toussaint among artifacts that portray the history of the working class in the time of former mayor Archibald Gracie.

Real estate companytries to force NY tenants out of homes (NYDN) A real estate company co-owned by the husband of the city's consumer affairs commissioner tried to improperly force dozens of tenants out of Upper East Side apartments they were converting to condos, the state attorney general charged Wednesday. Commissioner Julie Menin's husband, Bruce, and his co-investors agreed to settle the allegations by paying a $1.7 million fine, AG Eric Schneiderman announced Wednesday. Julie Menin runs the city agency that protects New Yorkers from scam artists. Her husband and his partners bought the fully occupied building at 165 E. 66th St. building in 2013 for $230 million and soon after filed plans to convert it to condos. Schneiderman said the company began inserting early termination clauses in 82 of the 150 leases in the building, where many of the residents have lived for years. Tenants told the AG’s investigators that the owners promised the termination clauses wouldn’t be enforced, then a few months later they found termination notices in their mailboxes. “Developers who convert buildings from rental to condominium ownership must respect tenants’ basic legal rights,” Schneiderman said.

Shocking de Blasio Cancles Iowa Presidental Forum as Cuomo Hits From the Left on $15

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio admitted his Iowa presidential forum collapsed because no one wanted to go, but said his forays into national politics are far from over.

State Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan said a conversation still needed to be had about the broader impact of the $15 minimum wage proposal and continued to raise concerns about the same wage floor for fast-food workers, State of Politics reports:-- The forum had become a political albatross for de Blasio, who had taken pains to distance himself from the planned event amid accusations that he was focusing too much on national politics at the expense of New York City's own problems. The cancellation of the forum allows him to shed that baggage and move on. He recently followed a similar playbook on an interrelated front: his non-endorsement of Hillary Clinton ... Much as the forum seemed designed to elevate de Blasio's national profile, his reluctance to endorse Clinton until he learned more about her progressive credentials seemed both forced, and designed to enhance his national stature. Instead, he became something of a laughingstock. * "I don't want to insult my friend like this, but there is a sense it was a 'legend in his own mind' kind of phenomenon," said Doug Muzzio, a political scientist at BaruchCollege.-- A.P.'s Jonathan Lemire: "a political embarrassment for a mayor with ambitions of influencing national dialogue. ... the latest misstep for de Blasio, a Democrat, in his efforts to impact the 2016 race." *

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio confessed his much-mocked planned presidential candidates forum in Iowa was a failure—a day after his left-leaning non-profit claimed it was called off because it had been such a success.

Mayor Secret Meeting to Fix Minority Contracting Problem

De Blasio holds secret meeting to boost minority real estate developers (NYP) Mayor de Blasio had a secret meeting Tuesday with minority real-estate developers and told them he’s considering rewriting city contracts to give an advantage to projects that use minority firms. De Blasio also discussed setting aside six development projects, valued at $200 million, for minority developers, sources said. During the City Hall meeting, which was kept secret from the press, the mayor also agreed to create $10 million to $20 million in revolving loan funds that minority developers can tap into to cover start-up costs. The powwow comes as de Blasio faces criticism for failing to significantly boost minority participation in city contracting.* De Blasio told real-estate developers he’s considering rewriting city contracts to give an advantage to projects that use minority firms and plans to set aside certain development projects for such firms, thePost writes:

The Media Does Not Hold de Blasio Responsible for CSA Failures Like They Did Bloomberg

De Blasio and the city’s Administration for Children’s Services stand silent on the three deaths of infants in the last three months at the hands of their mothers and should swiftly account for, and end, the deadly “epidemic,” the Daily News writes:

de Blasio Who Attack Bloomberg Polices and Embarrassed Him At the Swearing In Now Needs His Help?

De Blasio Adopts a Warmer Tone Toward Bloomberg (NYT) Mayor Bill de Blasio has come to see his rift with Michael R. Bloomberg, his predecessor, as an unnecessary political liability and has recently hailed the former mayor as a champion for New York City.* De Blasio has recently changed his tune in relation to his predecessor former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, hailing the man he once worked to differentiate himself from during his campaign, the Times writes:

De Blasio, a Democrat, and former NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg, a Republican-turned-independent, will hold a joint news conference Oct. 21 in the Bronx to plant the millionth tree of the Million Trees NYC program that Bloomberg launched in 2007 to improve the quality of life on the city’s streets.

GOP Which Lost Their Way On LI Spins de Blasio as Their Punching Bag Target

Fred Dicker: “(NYC Mayor Bill) de Blasio is so reviled across the state that Senate Republicans are planning to use criticism against Hizzoner to boost their candidates in next year’s campaigns — and they’ll use critiques leveled by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to help demonize him.”* De Blasio-Cuomo feud is Republican ammo for 2016 (NYP) *

Catsimatidis goes easy on de Blasio as he debuts new press strategy(NYP)A de Blasio spokeswoman conceded the questions were grapefruit league. “The Cats Man is not known for asking tough questions, and there are plenty of other elected officials who have been thrown softballs on his show,” said de Blasio spokeswoman Karen Hinton, who said the program was taped Wednesday.

De Blasio has spent nearly twice as much time as his predecessor, former Mayor Mike Bloomberg, on personal weekday travels outside the city.Bill de Blasio aka New York’s absentee mayor (NYP) During his 22 months in office, de Blasio has spent 33 weekdays taking nonofficial trips as far away as Italy and California, according to a Post analysis of his mayoral schedules and other records. By contrast, Mayor Mike Bloomberg spent just 19 weekdays on the road for anything other than official city business during a comparable time in office, from January 2002 through October 2003. Much of de Blasio’s travel expenses have been picked up by taxpayers, including his July trip to the Vatican for a meeting on climate change that cost more than $16,000, multiple reports say. His nonprofit fund-raising arm, the Campaign for One New York, has also paid for some of his travel expenses, including trips to Iowa and Nebraska. And while de Blasio has picked up the tab for his and his family’s vacations, taxpayers have had to shell out for related expenses, including more than $10,000 so three staffers could reportedly tag along on the Italy vacation last year. A recent QuinnipiacUniversity poll found a majority were turned off by his travels. Fifty percent said they believed de Blasio’s involvement with national issues was distracting him from his job, while 37 percent didn’t believe so. De Blasio’s plan to host a presidential-candidates forum in Iowa this year also got a thumbs-down, with 56 percent disapproving and just 26 percent approving. Real-estate mogul Don Peebles, who was a big donor to de Blasio’s 2013 mayoral campaign but is now mulling a run against him in 2017, took a swipe at the mayor. “The real problem is how poorly he performs when he is in New York City,” he quipped. De Blasio has spent 33 weekdays taking non-official trips as far away as Italy and California, spending nearly as much as twice as his predecessor on personal weekday travels - many paid for with tax dollars * MIA Mayor de Blasio has blown 33 weekdays on personal travel (NYP)

Scripted de Blasio Poll Numbers Fall as He Deceives Met Fans and Voters

De Blasio’s approval numbers hit all-time low (NYP) The poll — conducted by The Wall Street Journal, NBC4 and Marist — found a paltry 38 percent of New Yorkers approve of the job Hizzoner is doing, the lowest approval rating of his mayoral career. His ratings dropped from 44 percent in May. De Blasio was also unpopular for his gallivanting outside of town, and lost major points among those surveyed for his handling of crime, with 51 percent disapproving of his methods. Some 55 percent of New Yorkers said they thought the city was headed in the wrong direction, which is the highest number since 2004, according to Marist. Only 38 percent of voters said they thought the city was moving in the right direction. * A new poll finds New York City voters have an increasingly negative assessment of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s job performance, souring on how he has handled crime and concerned that the city’s quality of life is slipping, The Wall Street Journalreports : * De Blasio’s approval ratings continue to drop to new lows — with only 38 percent of New Yorkers approving of his performance, according to a new poll by Marist, the Wall Street Journal and NBC4. They survey found the mayor’s rating dropped from 44 percent in May, to his lowest point since taking office.* Bill de Blasio Can’t Name a Single Mistake He’s Made In Office (NYO) Asked by a reporter what he regarded as the greatest error of his nearly two years in office, NYC Mayor de Blasio called it a “cosmic question,” but said he could not come upwith anything off the top of his head.* When asked what the greatest mistake of his mayoralty was, de Blasio said it was a “cosmic question” that he would need to think about, but also said his office could improve its public relations, the Observerreports: * A de Blasio aide composed a series of tweets published on the mayor’s Twitter account during this weekend’s World Series game that included several first person pronouns and was praised for its genuine nature,The New York Times reports: * Bill de Blasio tells Andrew Cuomo NYC doesn't need saving (NYDN)

When Hillary Got Him By the Balls de Blasio's Hearts and Minds Follow, Where is Iowa?

Now He Changed His Mind Again

Bill de Blasio Shoots Down Reports That He’s Backing Hillary(NYO) An irritated Mayor Bill de Blasio dismissed a couple of news reports that said he was on the verge of endorsing Hillary Clinton for president, telling reporters today that he won’t respond to “third party reports.” “Don’t reference … third party reports. When we have something to say on the political front, we’ll say it,” Mr. de Blasio, a Democrat, said at an unrelated press conference in Queens. “I haven’t said anything yet. That’ll be something we address in the future.”Politico New York and the Associated Press, citing unnamed sources, reported yesterday that Mr. de Blasio was in talks with Ms. Clinton about an endorsement before the mayor hosts an Iowa forum on income inequality next month.* De Blasio brushed off a question about whether he would soon endorse Hillary Clinton for president, saying “when we have something to say on the political front, we’ll say it,” Politico New York reports: Wednesday Update With sources saying de Blasio is expected to offer his endorsement to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign soon, some are now waiting to see if it happens in a press release or by her side, the Timeswrites: * *Mayor's Timing Hardly Ideal for Presumed Endorsement of Clinton (NY1)

Now, Clinton campaign in talks with de Blasio about endorsement( PoliticoNY) "I think like a lot of people in this country, I want to see a vision," said de Blasio in April, on the same day Clinton formally announced her run for the White House. "And again that would be true of candidates on all levels." An organization founded by de Blasio will host a presidential forum on income inequality in Iowa City in December, and sent out invitations to all the major Democratic and Republican candidates. *

So is de Blasio going to bail on his Iowa presidential forum? Unclear who - if anyone - will attend. 56% say it's a bad idea in new Q poll.

Mayor Going to A Town Hall Meeting in Iowa But Not Brooklyn

De Blasio to host presidential forum on inequality in Iowa (NYP)Mayor de Blasio will host a ­bipartisan presidential forum on ­income inequality in a place that will put him on a national stage — the first caucus state of Iowa, multiple sources told The Post. * De Blasio blasted for skipping cop-related town hall meetings (NYP) Civil-rights attorney Norman Siegel called out Mayor de Blasio on Tuesday for failing to attend a series of town-hall meetings devoted to improving police-community relations. “We’re extremely disappointed,” Siegel said at a press conference alongside Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer. “Not participating in town-hall meetings that [de Blasio] and his staff were invited to. What does that say?”* Mayor Bill de Blasio, who is yet to make an endorsement in the race for the White House,will host a bipartisan presidential candidate forum in Iowa on income inequality. * Civil-rights attorney Norman Siegel is blasting de Blasio for not attending a series of town-hall meetings on police-community relations. * State Republicans Knock de Blasio’s Iowa Forum (YNN) *De Blasio Returning to the National Political Stage (NYT) Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat, is flying to Washington — his eighth trip there as mayor — to address what is billed as “the largest-ever gathering of progressive lawmakers.”* Bill de Blasio’s silly Iowa event is a recipe for more New York blues (NYP) “It upsets me that he hasn’t done a town- hall meeting,” Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer told The Post. “I don’t know that going to Iowa is going to help secure funding for affordable housing.” The mayor’s still deep in his bubble: Out-of-towners “get” his “accomplishments” better than New Yorkers, as he’s said. Yeah: Out-of-towners don’t see his results. If you want to make “inequality” a thing, do something about it — starting with, say, how the public-school system denies the poor the education they need to rise. Or with violent crime plaguing minority neighborhoods.* De Blasio’s plan to hold a presidential forum in Iowa next month isn’t sitting well with other city officials, who say he hasn’t held a single town-hall meeting on his own turf since being elected 21 months ago, the Postwrites: * * After a summer of local headaches, from squabbles over taxicabs to toplessness in Times Square, de Blasio is returning to the national political stage, a realm that he relishes,the Times writes: * De Blasio, a Democrat, is flying to Washington tomorrow — his eighth trip there as mayor — to address what is billed as “the largest-ever gathering of progressive lawmakers.” His top political advisers are also finalizing a forum for presidential candidates, to take place this fall in Iowa, where the mayor is hoping to inject his signature issue of income inequality into the 2016 race. * New York Republicans wasted no time in attacking de Blasio over his plans to hold a presidential forum in Iowa sometime in November. “It would appear Mayor de Blasio is bored with his job already,” state GOP chair Ed Cox said in an emailed statement. * State GOP chair slams de Blasio’s plans for Iowa presidential forum (PoliticoNY)

How Can Mayor Flack Hinton Talk About Hack Jobs for Income Equality When the City is Pushing Out the Middle Class and Poor?

Mayoral spokeswoman Karen Hinton defended her boss. “When this administration hires without posting, we are hiring qualified candidates who are committed to ending income inequality and ensuring a government that looks like and serves all New Yorkers,” she said.

de Blasio Hires Campaign Workers in City Jobs to Set Up His Re-Election

De Blasio hires cronies to advance his progressive agenda (NYP) In addition to creating a $150,000 post for Stephanie Yazgi — the longtime girlfriend of his top strategist, Emma Wolfe — de Blasio has created positions to amp up his progressive agenda and national profile and spread propaganda touting his “transcendent” accomplishments. The city’s television station — led by de Blasio buddy Janet Choi — devotes much of its taxpayer-funded $5.7 million budget to broadcasting his ribbon-cuttings, announcements and features about his friends, including his wedding singer. His $105,000 digital director, Jessica Singleton, shapes his social-media image while his $69,000 media analyst, Mahen Gunaratna, measures the influence of his messages. Update Stephanie Yazgi, Mayor Bill de Blasio’s new “immigration organizer,” was being paid by private funds before being brought on staff – countering his claim that taxpayers had to pay her $150,000 salary because an outside grant fell through, the Post writes:

“The CAU has now turned into a four-year organizing arm of the de Blasio campaign,” said a former liaison with the unit.

But the bulk of his buddies land jobs at City Hall in the mayor’s Community Affairs Unit.The CAU traditionally had staffers represent the mayor at community-board and civic-group meetings across the city, reporting back to the administration on neighborhood concerns. “The CAU unit now employs Pinny Ringel, a $65,000-a-year liaison to the Jewish community and a former Public Advocate’s Office staffer under de Blasio. Sarah Sayeed is a liaison who specializes in the Muslim community. And Jonathan Soto is senior community liaison to the Clergy Advisory Council, another de Blasio creation. Kicy Motley, a de Blasio campaign worker who tweeted “F- -k. The. Police.” in 2012, found a home in the CAU office as $55,000-a-year Brooklyn borough director.And Rebecca Lynch, a Teamsters union lobbyist who backed de Blasio’s campaign, landed a gig as an $85,000-a-year special assistant in the CAU before taking a leave of absence to launch a bid for City Council in Queens.

de Blasio Leading From Behind

Every Time the Media Exposes A Problem, Homeless, Mental Health, Grade Fixing, NYCHA Mess the Mayor Comes Up With A Plan to Fix It

Monday A New York City data engineer has created an app that allows users to take photos of homeless people and upload them onto a map, which he believes could be useful to city officials, the Post reports:

Just two days after laying out a new press strategy that favors ducking City Hall reporters in favor of town-hall-like meetings and friendly radio and TV interviews, Mayor de Blasio followed through on his pledge — taking to the airwaves to field softball queries. Questions posed by WNYM/970 AM host John Catsimatidis on Sunday included: “How is it to be the 109th mayor of the City of New York?” “Are you afraid when the phone rings at 3 o’clock in the morning?” and “What can we do to improve our schools?”

NYC doesn’t know how many cooling towers there are after 10 die from Legionnaires’ disease

For Some New York Latinos, Enthusiasm for de Blasio Gives Way to Frustration (NYT) A citywide coalition of Latino leaders has been organizing demonstrations and lobbying the mayor to hire more Hispanics and Latinos in his administration. The New York City Campaign for Fair Latino Representation, a coalition of leaders lobbying the Mayor Bill de Blasio to hire more Latinos, said it is frustrated by the de Blasio’s lack of movement

Taxpayers paid for de Blasio aide’s bid to land DNC (NYP) City taxpayers picked up part of the salary of Mayor de Blasio’s chief of staff when she left the government payroll last year to lure the Democratic National Convention to Brooklyn, according to city records. The financial-disclosure forms filed by Laura Santucci show she received between $100,000 and $250,000 from the city’s tourism arm — NYC &amp; Company — as director of the city’s DNC bid from November 2014 to April 2015. NYC &amp; Company gets roughly one-third of its revenue from city coffers, so taxpayers funded a portion of Santucci’s convention-coaxing work.

What Do You Do When You Realize You Can't Handle the Job and Even the Press Can't Cover Your Ass - Zen Out in Park Slope

Favors for de Blasio cronies is the real ‘tale of two New Yorks’ (NYP)It sure pays to have friends in high places. Just ask Roberta Kaplan. In January 2014 — weeks after Mayor de Blasio took office — a water-main break knocked out utilities in her upscale Greenwich Village building. Kaplan — who gave the maximum $4,950 to the de Blasio mayoral campaign — wrote City Hall. And she cc’d the founder of the firm BerlinRosen — which worked for the campaign and now runs the mayor’s pocket nonprofit, the Campaign for One New York. Hours later, a mayoral aide responded that city agencies had been dispatched. Inspectors showed up the next day — an unusually rapid response: The service interruptions were at first deemed a “priority B,” which typically means no action for weeks. campaign adviser, was pulled over for a traffic violation — just weeks after the Kaplan episode. Since Findlayter was driving with a suspended license and two outstanding warrants, he was arrested. Late that night, the mayor reached out to the NYPD to ask about the arrest. A couple intra-department calls later and — voila! — Findlayter was sprung. De Blasio called his actions “appropriate.” This month, The Post reported on the curious hiring of Stephanie Yazgi, romantic partner of mayoral aide Emma Wolfe, to a $150,000 made-up job that was never advertised publically. Connected friends (and friends of friends) of Bill de Blasio can clearly expect to get special treatment. Sure, that’s always been a part of politics. But it’s odd to see with Mr. Tale of Two New Yorks running things.

and He Roots Against the Mets!NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio was low key when he went to all three games played between his beloved Red Sox and the Mets this weekend, frustrated by his favorite team’s disappointing season but excited for the upstart Mets and what their surprising resurgence could mean for October’s playoff possibilities in the nation’s largest city.* Mayor de Blasio Takes to Twitter for a Lunchtime Chat (NYT) Bill de Blasio held a brief, unannounced question-and-answer session on Twitter, addressing topics personal and political.

de Blasio Know What To Do He Just Does Not Know How to Do It

In the Daily News, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio lays out his plan to tackle the day-to-day issues facing city residents, saying he will never allow the quality of life in the city to erode and pledging to aggressively combat homelessness and crack down on nuisance panhandling

Twitter attack proves de Blasio ‘doesn’t have temperament to run the city’: experts (NYP) Mayor de Blasio’s fake New York Post front page on Twitter was a petty attack on a newspaper that has exposed serious issues — and it proves he’s “extremely thin-skinned and doesn’t have the temperament to run the city,” a top political strategist said Thursday. “This type of deflection is not only in poor taste, it’s bad politics,” said crisis-communications consultant Susan Del Percio, who suggested de Blasio “stop worrying about his bad press and worry about running the city.” “You can’t laugh off certain things, and he’s trying to make a joke about something people are very concerned about,” she said. De Blasio tweeted his mock Post Page One on Wednesday night, hours after the NYPD released favorable crime stats.

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The Children's Design

Hey de Blasio, here’s how you design your own Post cover (NYP) You call this a front page? I’ve seen supermarket shoppers and law journals better designed than the pitiful parody of The Post that Mayor de Blasio tweeted. You obviously read the paper every day, Bill, considering how much it’s gotten under your skin. Why’d you make us look as dull as the Daily News? “SAFEST SUMMER IN 20 YEARS.” It’s only called the “wood,” it’s not actually suppose to be wooden. How about, “HOT DAMN!”

De Blasio stares down Giuliani during 9/11 memorial ceremony (NYP) Mayor de Blasio couldn’t hide his feelings about nemesis Rudy Giuliani, giving him a piercing stare Friday during the 9/11 ceremony at Ground Zero. Only hours before they shared the stage at the solemn event, Giuliani for the second time this week criticized de Blasio for misrepresenting the city’s homeless crisis. “OK, here’s how ignorant Mayor de Blasio is. He said that there were 40 percent more homeless people during my administration,” Giuliani said on Fox 5, adding the mayor misquoted that statistic, which The New York Times put at 32 percent. Giuliani also said the spike was only in the shelter population, not in the number of homeless on the street. “People who are in shelters, I would like to inform the mayor, are not homeless,” Giuliani sniffed. The two mayors have been locked in a war of words since Giuliani blasted de Blasio and his “progressive views” for allowing vagrants to sleep on the streets in a Post op-ed last Sunday. *

.@deBlasioNYC and @NYGovCuomo kept theirdistance at the labor union parade (Newsday) * Nearly two years after returning to lead the nation’s largest police department, NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton has cemented his influence in City Hall, becoming one of the most powerful players in New York politics through a mix of skillful maneuvering and the political vulnerabilities of a mayor seen, unfairly or not, as weak on policing.

6 Months Ago True News Reported On the de Blasio Press Bubble

As de Blasio Poll Numbers Fall He Floats His Press Bubble to the Outer Boroughs

Approval ratings behind de Blasio’s outer borough roadshow (NYP) Mayor de Blasio ventured to the Rockaways on Friday, continuing his outer-borough charm offensive in the wake of sinking poll numbers and criticism of his progressive wanderlust. A day after a staged photo-op showing Hizzoner filling potholes on Staten Island, he ventured to Queens for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at part of the rebuilt boardwalk destroyed by Hurricane Sandy. The city got $480 million from the feds to rebuild the boardwalk, and de Blasio announced any leftover money “will stay in the Rockaways.” Political strategists say it’s no accident de Blasio is taking his show across the city. “The poll numbers show he’s sinking, so he has to take action,” veteran operative told The Post. “He’ll be appearing at fires, crime scenes, anything to show he’s the mayor of the city. The people have said we don’t want him to be the mayor of America, they want him to be the mayor of NYC.” A QuinnipiacUniversity poll last week showed the mayor’s approval ratings plunging at home as he stumped for his progressive polices out of town. * Boardwalk Returns to Rockaways in Time for Beach Season (NYT) * Step by Step, a Boardwalk Re-Emerges (WSJ) New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio marked the unofficial opening of summer on Friday with a celebration of the completion of the first restored section of the Rockaway Boardwalk that was wrecked by superstorm Sandy in 2012. Mayor Puts New Yorkers Who Want to Ask Questions Into Pens and Reads His Script in Front of the Political Class* -- AP’s “[O]n Friday in the Rockaways, unlike on Staten Island the day before, [de Blasio] largely heard cheers. That was in part due to the event's careful stagecraft, featuring tight security that kept would-be demonstrators nearly out of the mayor's line of sight. … the site of his press conference was tightly controlled by Department of Parks security and City Hall staffers, who took the unusual step of cordoning off potential disruptors to an area about 50 yards down the boardwalk.” * Channeling Orwell: Mayor de Blasio's "Free SpeechZone": (WCBS)

de Blasio Played the Horses for the Money to Get Around the Election Law

De Blasio’s new horse-carriage plan iseven more ridiculous (NYP Ed) Mayor de Blasio’s affordable-housing plan is in shambles. There’s traffic chaos in the streets. Sixty percent of New Yorkers say they see more homeless people around. And 48 percent of New Yorkers don’t want de Blasio to have a second term. So what does the mayor do? He races back into the arms of the special interests who helped get him elected. That’s right — he’s re-embracing the nuts who want to ban the Central Park carriage horses. But the mayor did have a political case: The people behind NYCLASS gave nearly $2 million to his 2013 campaign and to negative-ad campaigns against his opponents, and now to his new “nonpolitical” slush fund. Now de Blasio wants to reduce the number of horses to 70, and stable the horses in Central Park rather than having them commute from the West Side. This makes no sense on at least three levels. First, if the horses are so horrifically abused, why is it better to abuse 70 horses instead of 220? After all, no one ever says that we should reduce, say, the number of trafficked or forced prostitutes. The goal is zero. The answer here is that the animals aren’t abused, and the mayor well knows it. Second, if the streets are so unsafe for the horses that they can’t go back and forth 11 blocks to the park, that’s a problem with the streets, not with the horses — and the answer is better traffic safety to protect drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists, too. Third, why on earth would we give part of our precious public park to house a private business? Central Park doesn’t have room to stable 70 horses — and there’s no need for it. Where would a horse stable go — and who, exactly, among the park’s users would like to give up a playground or some green space? Like many of the mayor’s ideas, from building a new subway on Utica Avenue when we don’t have money for the old subways, or building housing over a rail yard that’s going to be part of a complex MTA construction project for years to come, nobody thought this through. The mayor has said that he wants to do something about the horses to show, as the Times put it, that he is “a man of his word.”

* De Blasio's multi-million dollar plan to cut down crime in New York City Housing Authority developments is missing the mark because it neglects some of the city’s most dangerous housing projects

Daily News Interviews Quinn On Homelessness On the Same Day the Mayor Backtracks On the Horses?

A Great Question to Quinn Would Have Been Did You Think You Lost the Mayor's Race Because of NYCLASS?

The NYCLASS PAC Aloud Team de Blasio to Collect Large Donations that the Election Law Blocked to Kill Quinn

While de Blasio and horse carriage ban supporters may view their newly proposed deal of shrinking the number of horse-drawn carriages and moving horses to a stable inside Central Park as a compromise, it is anything but that, writes the Daily News * With Thanksgiving approaching, Christine Quinn, CEO of Win and former speaker of the New York City Council, writes for the Daily News that New Yorkers need to not only continue donating, but also push for more support for agencies that can help break the city’s cycle of homelessness: (Daily News) * De Blasio Admits Horse Ban was Stable Grab for Donor | Frontpage Mag

In 2014 Daily News Reported That Team de Blasio Poured Money Into NYCLASS

In 2014 the Daily News repored that the FBI was investigating donations to NYCLASS from men closeto Mayor de Blasio that may have been used toward anti-Christine Quinncampaigners On May 21, lawyer Jay Eisenhofer gave $50,000 to NYCLASS, the animal rights group leading the crusade to ban carriage horses. Ten days later, on May 31, NYCLASS gave an equal amount — $50,000, to the anti-Quinn group. On June 1, NYCLASS received another large donation, this time for $175,000. It came from UNITE HERE! — a labor union headed by John Wilhelm. Two days after that, on June 3, NYCLASS sent the same amount, $175,000, to the anti-Quinn campaign. The issue? Both Wilhelm and Eisenhofer have long-standing ties to Bill de Blasio, one of Quinn’s Democratic rivals in the mayoral campaign. Wilhelm is de Blasio’s cousin — and a prolific fund-raiser for him. Wilhelm raised $6,950 for de Blasio’s 2009 race for public advocate and $80,000 for de Blasio’s successful campaign for mayor.

Paging Doctor deBlasio: New York City'sHealth and Hospitals Corp. needs emergency care from the mayor (NYDN) The city’s top doctor on Tuesday pronounced the municipal hospitals in critical financial condition — and says New Yorkers will have to step up to save them. Are you ready to pitch in? Mayor de Blasio hasn’t been. Fifteen months into his term, it suddenly dawns that the Health and Hospitals Corp.’s 11 major medical centers are hemorrhaging hundreds of millions of dollars a year. Without radical treatment, they are terminal. Landmark institutions like Bellevue, KingsCounty, North Central Bronx and ElmhurstMedicalCenter face dire futures thanks to accelerating changes in the health-care marketplace, including Obamacare. Yet the mayor has raised no warnings about the looming crisis, let alone offered a vision for maintaining the nation’s largest public health-care system.

BREAKING NEWS: A New York City Mayor Rushes to the Scene of A Crime or A Fire

Cheers for all butone: While the Finest and Bravest do the city proud, Mayor de Blasio hits thegym (NYDN Ed) Unsurprising was the professionalism and heroism of New York City’s emergency responders after a berserk, heavily armed gangbanger forced a long and terrifying siege on Staten Island. Unsurprising was the mobilization of the NYPD’s emergency services teams, hostage negotiators and aviation unit, which sent a helicopter to bring the gunman’s mother from Delaware in the hope of persuading him to surrender. Unsurprising was the bravery of the Fire Department’s Engine 158, called to the scene as it first unfolded and as smoke billowed from the basement apartment of career criminal Garland Tyree. Unsurprising was the valor of Fire Lt. James Hayes, a 31-year veteran, who led the way in and was shot twice, once in the leg and once in the hip. And unsurprising, too, was how one man took it all in stride, perhaps literally on a treadmill, while working out at a gym for as many as 100 minutes and then stopping to pick up a bite to eat: New York’s Mayor de Blasio.

The Workout: While his Cops Were In A Dangerous Standoff, Mayor Decided to Hit the Gym

Monday Update Firefighters say an FDNY lieutenant almost died because he wasn’t told by law-enforcement officials that the home he was racing into housed an armed Bloods gang leader suspected in two murders, the Post reports:

NYC Mayor de Blasio spent two hours at a Brooklyn YMCA this morning, leaving his police and fire commissioners to deal with a Staten Island standoff in which a gunman shot a city firefighter. * Sergeants Benevolent Association President Ed Mullins said de Blasio should not have been fiddling around in Brooklyn while a building in Staten Island was burning and a maniac was shooting at police officers. “Even the Emperor Nero attempted to put the fire out in Rome,” Mullins said. * A group of influential Democrats believe de Blasio is grooming his wife, Chirlane McCray, to succeed him in 2021. * Former NYC Council Speaker Chris Quinn sent a lengthy “what I’ve been up to lately” email to supporters, but says she has no intention of challenging de Blasio in 2017.* Mayor de Blasio Hit the Gym Amid Staten Island Standoff (NY1) * De Blasio Went tothe Gym During Gang Leader's Standoff With NYPD (DNAINFO) NYT The Mayor's Protector Leaves Out His Workout At the Brooklyn Gym

The transactional Bill deBlasio (Wayne Barrett, NYDN) “Transactionality is a trap,” preached de Blasio on NY1, contrasting himself with that denizen of the dark side, Andrew Cuomo, who, the mayor declared with wide-eyed sincerity, “deeply believes in the transactional model.” He acidly ascribed everything bad that happens in Albany to the governor — even though a man who knew them both well, Mario Cuomo, endorsed de Blasio in 2009 with the memorable words: “He’s a lot like Andrew.” de Blasio’s attack on transactional politics was itself a transaction, a favor for labor. * WAYNE BARRETT in the News, “The transactional Bill deBlasio”: “Most of the water de Blasio carries for his backers these days flows from city reservoirs. He has awarded the richest labor contracts in city history, and support for his 2017 reelection bid from the union recipients of his public largesse may ward off any primary challenge. SEIU signed one of those contracts — valued, when combined with the nurses union, at $879 million. Hotel workers don’t have a city contract, but are pleased no doubt by the mayor’s enforcement war against hotel competitor Airbnb. ... “The progressives who hate Cuomo the most, including perhaps the mayor, hate him for his alliance with the Republican state senators. Yet they simultaneously expect him to milk it, as he has on marriage equality, gun control and other issues. They damn and cheer him in the same sentence, demanding more than he could ever extract from a Republican conference financed by real estate and other corporate interests, and controlled by an upstate majority with a downstate suburban face.” The end of the article notes that Barrett’s “wife is an adviser on nonprofit policy for Cuomo .”

de Blasio and NYT Enabler Support Silver's Transactional Politics After His Arrest

De Blasio’s greatest champion in the war with Cuomo has been the Times editorial page, which couldn’t even choose between Cuomo and an associate professor tied to the teachers unions in 2014. Remarkably, last week’s editorial actually declared that “everything” de Blasio said about Cuomo was “true.” The Times and the mayor haven’t always agreed on Albany matters The day in January when charges finally landed on Assembly Speaker Shelly Silver, the mayor praised the titan of Albany-style transactional politics throughout two championship decades as “a man of integrity” who made deals and stuck with them. De Blasio said Silver should remain speaker while the Times found it “incredible” that he might try to hang on to power. De Blasio’s top budget officials came to him from Silver, and he uses the same key political consulting firm as Silver, Berlin Rosen, which also represents HTC, the hospital workers, the teacher unions and their collective ballot line, the Working Families Party. . . Similarly, the day after the Times published a front-page expose of Heastie, de Blasio rushed to his defense. Though the paper found that Heastie made a windfall on the sale of a house his mother bought with embezzled funds, de Blasio volunteered that everything Heastie did “was appropriate.” He’d backed Heastie as Silver’s replacement, oblivious to what the governor wanted. (Imagine if Cuomo had intervened when de Blasio handpicked City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito.). In de Blasio’s eyes, Heastie must be another above-transactional-politics miracle, though he engineered a coup years ago to become the Democratic boss of the Bronx, where even street lights require tribute. The other county bosses, a fraternity of innocents no doubt, helped make Heastie speaker. . . As unforgiving as de Blasio was about Cuomo’s alleged unwillingness to use his “extraordinary influence over the Republican Senate” to secure a longer extension of mayoral control, he told NY1’s Errol Louis that he’d added 1,300 cops to the new budget, 300 more than Mark-Viverito had asked for, because the Council is “my partner in government” and he had to “weigh” their demands even though his contrary “views and concerns were well known.” Any such flexibility by Cuomo with his Senate partners, however, is craven, according to the mayor.

De Blasio met with boos at Dominican Day Parade (NYP) They marched just one block from each other, but the greetings Mayor de Blasio and Gov. Cuomo received at Sunday’s Dominican Day Parade were worlds apart. De Blasio, who slammed the Dominican Republic in June for deporting workers of Haitian descent, strolled along Sixth Avenue to a hail of boos.“No more de Blasio, no more de Blasio!” a crowd chanted.

“I’m a citizen and I wouldn’t vote for him,” said Sue Perez, 25, a medical assistant from New Jersey. “ ‘Don’t go to the Dominican,’ he says. He said we don’t like Haitians. He says our country is racist.

Homelessness Grows the Homeless Boss Goes

Lilliam Barrios-Paoli, was reportedly “miserable” in her job and felt the mayor politicized too many decisions.

Deputy Mayor Barrios-Paoli leaving the de Blasioadministration (NYDN) Amid controversy over Mayor de Blasio's handling of homelessness, a deputy mayor will soon be leaving the place she's called home for 20 months. Deputy Mayor Lilliam Barrios-Paoli, de Blasio's top official for homelessness, social services and health, is leaving City Hall, the administration announced Monday. She will depart at the end of September and take an unpaid post chairing the Health and Hospitals Corp. board. *

david seifman ‏@davidleg12 Last week, Mr. de Blasio’s office denied that Ms. Barrios-Paoli, who turns 69 on Wednesday, was resigning when asked by The New York Times *

De Blasio’s deputy mayor for health and human services, Lilliam Barrios-Paoli, will leavethe administration at the end of September to chair the board of the city’s Health and Hospitals Corp. * Her departure marks the highest-ranking resignation in de Blasio’s administration during his 20 months in office and comes at a critical time in his tenure when he is being criticized for his handling of the city’s homelessness problem. * Barrios-Paoli, a former Catholic nun, is leaving a $222,182-a-year job to work for free. * New York City Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Lilliam Barrios-Paoli didn’t think she was a “good match” with Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration, despite being committed to helping the city’s most vulnerable, the Daily News reports: * New York City Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Lilliam Barrios-Paoli didn’t think she was a “good match” with Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration, despite being committed to helping the city’s most vulnerable, the Daily News reports:

Daily News: Mayor Gloom

Mayor of Gloom City: De Blasio’s badmouthing has come back to hurt him (NYDN Ed) The mayor has been a superstar at talk, but his delivery has often left much to be desired or raised questions about whether he is actually in command. He waged and, happily, seems to have abandoned a plan to ban carriage horses from the city. He declared that he would hire no new cops and then suddenly agreed to bolster the force by 1,300 officers after being smartly outmaneuvered by Police Commissioner Bill Bratton. He set out to slowly strangle charter schools, only to be beaten back by public opinion and Gov. Cuomo. He took on a huge fight to cap the number of Uber cars in operation — arguing not on pragmatic terms, but by painting the company as a billion-dollar behemoth like ExxonMobil or Walmart. New Yorkers who appreciate the car service, especially those in the cab-starved outer boroughs, didn’t get it — and the mayor was forced into an abrupt U-turn. He has used phony numbers to claim that he kept a promise to wring health-care savings out of the unions. He is struggling to get control of RikersIsland and to fulfill promises to rescue NYCHA from further deterioration. He presented the Legislature with an agenda on rent regulation, housing development tax abatements and mayoral control of the schools — after trying to dethrone the Republicans who control the state Senate. Although de Blasio brought home a reasonable amount, he then attacked, minimizing his own accomplishments. At a time when the city is creating record numbers of jobs, unemployment is dropping and crime remains low, the poll’s quality-of-life expression of negative sentiment is breathtaking — and may reflect de Blasio’s endless lamentations about victimization and unfairness without producing even glimmers of remedies. In that sense, he is reaping what he has sowed: gloom.* The Post writesthat it is surprising that de Blasio is shrugging at shootings occurring in some neighborhoods because he won on a campaign to bridge the gap between two unequal New Yorks:

A Tale of Two Cities: The de Blasio Poll Show and Increasing Racial Divide

It’s official: New Yorkers are growing sick of Bill de Blasio (NYP) New Yorkers flunked Mayor de Blasio in a devastating poll ­released Wednesday — giving him his lowest approval rating yet amid revelations in The Post about a growing grade-fixing scandal in city schools. The QuinnipiacUniversity poll — conducted from last Thursday through Tuesday — found that only 38 percent of voters approved of his handling of the schools. That’s down 11 points from this time last year and three points from a poll in May. The numbers also showed that more people believed de Blasio did not deserve re-election than those who said he did, by 47-41 percent. The wide racial divide that has plagued de Blasio’s tenure as mayor — and that he promised to heal during his campaign — persisted. Black voters by 58-33 percent said he deserves re-election, while white voters said by 61-24 percent that he doesn’t. The poll also found that voters are roughly split on the way de Blasio handles racial relations between blacks and whites, with 47 percent favorable and 44 percent unfavorable.

NYP's End of de Blasio's Term Countdown Clock

They disapproved of his handling of the latest city budget by 38-43 percent, and the city’s rising homeless population by 36-53 percent. Carroll also said it’s obvious that de Blasio had failed to bridge the divide between rich and poor New Yorkers and the racial divide between blacks and whites. “The mayor has yet to close the book on the ‘tale of two cities’ written on Election Day 2013. Black voters still approve of de Blasio by a lot; white voters don’t,” Carroll said. Howard Wolfson, a former deputy mayor in the Bloomberg ­administration, agreed. Following the release of the poll, Wolfson tweeted, “Amazing. Guy who ran on ending ‘two cities’ has a bigger gap btwn white and AA [African-American] approval (32 points in new Q poll) than Bloomberg ever did.” * Quality of life in NYC is at its worst in years: New Yorkers (NYP) * The NY Post has launched a countdown clock to keep track of how much time remains in de Blasio’s “disastrous” first term.

No NYP Goodwin de Blasio Not Trapped In Left Ideological, He is Caught in An Hypocritical Swamp of Lies and Has No Management Skills

Michael Goodwin: “In the middle of his second year, de Blasio has hit a wall. Trapped in a far-left ideological swamp, he can’t bring himself to put his duty to the city ahead of his narrow-minded petulance. He doesn’t even seem to be trying.”

1. Homelessness is Increasing Affordable Housing is Decreasing As de Blasio Takes Money From Real Estate Developers and Their Lobbyists

2. de Blasio Takes Money From Taxi Bosses and Loses Their Uber Battle

3. UFT PAC and Lobbyists Help Elected de Blasio and He Cannot Stop Increase In Charter Schools

4. de Blasio Needed NYCLASS Attack on the Mayor to Get Elected and He Cannot or Does Not Want to Ban the Hourse Carriages

5. de Blasio Campaigned on Blasting Bloomberg NYCHA Polices and He Copies the Parking Lot Selloff and Cannot Do Any Better Fixing the Repairs

6. de Blasio Campaign on Keeping LICH Hospital Open and It is Closed and A Hugh Development is Planned From A Developer who Contributed to His Campaign

7. Shooting and Murder are Going Up

8. de Blasio Blasted Bloomberg Trips Mayor for 18 Months Jetting off to California, Iowa, New Mexico and Italy, Among Other Places

9 Fighting With the Council Speaker Who He Put Into Office and Needing Help From the Senate GOP Who He Worked Against to Continue Control the Schools

10. de Blasio Runs A Slush Fund PAC One NY Funded By Developers, Special Interests and Run By An Unregistered Lobbyists Berlin Rosen

Its Not Shocking That the NYT Called City Boy Cuomo de Blasio's Political Bully

The NYT is the Mayor's BodyGuard and Puffer Flack

Governor Cuomo, ‘City Boy’ (NYT Ed) He needs to use his power to make sure his hometown gets the help it needs. Mr. Cuomo should now put pressure on his Republican allies in the State Senate to give the city’s mayor full control of schools. The Times accuses Cuomo of political bullying and says that the issues de Blasio pushed in Albany this past week—schools, housing and mass transit—need real solutions, not political one-upmanship

What Is Shocking the NYT Believes That An Unchanged 421-a Is A Give Away to Developers

From the NYT: "City housing is another problem that cries out for the governor’s help. Instead, the governor is criticizing the mayor’s efforts at compromise as “a giveaway to the developers.” What would really be a giveaway is a simple extension of rent laws and tax breaks for developers. The city loses thousands of affordable rental units a year, and that will continue unless the state gives those with rent-stabilized apartments a better chance of staying put."

True News: What the NYT leaves out is the loss of thousands of apartments caused by the gentrification the 421-a program causes

The Mayor's Door Wide Open to Lobbyists

De Blasio’s door is open to lobbyists (NYP) Mayor de Blasio has met personally with a dozen lobbyists so far this year — most of them campaign supporters and just two shy of the 14 he huddled with in all of 2014, records show. Leading the pack was last year’s highest-earning city lobbyist, James Capalino, who met with Hizzoner three times in the last three months. Capalino hosted two fund-raisers for de Blasio’s successful mayoral run in 2013. Clients who accompanied him to the meetings included Chinese real-estate and movie-theater mogul Wang Jianlin, chairman of Dalian Wanda Group, and Janno Lieber, a top Silverstein Properties exec who bundled $11,100 for de Blasio two years ago. Capalino most recently met with the mayor on May 28 on behalf of helicopter-tour operators in lower Manhattan — an opportunity that critics of the noisy flights say they haven’t gotten. “It’s very discouraging but not surprising,” said Delia Von Neuschatz, a resident of Battery Park City who founded an advocacy group to halt the tours. Other lobbyists/campaign supporters who met Hizzoner privately included Michael Woloz, who bundled nearly $237,000 for his campaign on behalf of the yellow-cab industry but who met with him on a doctors-union labor issue on Feb. 2. * The mayor has met personally with a dozen lobbyists so far this year — most of them campaign supporters and just two shy of the 14 he huddled with in all of 2014, records show.

despite reports suggesting that members of the conference were not happy with him. “I feel great about my relationship with the Assembly,” de Blasio said. “It has been a very strong relationship of mutual respect, obviously with Speaker [Carl] Heastie, and I think with the overwhelmingly majority of the Assembly members. I’m sure there’s going to be some disagreements. That’s normal.” * De Blasio insisted he is on good terms with Democrats in the state Assembly, despite a published report in the Daily News suggesting that at least some members were not happy with him. Unclear plans: “So where exactly are you envisioning the sale of public housing land in the city?” Torres pressed. “I imagine that you’ve given some thought to the subject.” Kelly said the NYCHA was still working out the particulars. When Torres asked which NYCHA land would be used for market-rate private housing development, versus affordable, Kelly said the authority would prioritize “those sites that have the highest market value,” but again declined to elaborate

The Mayor's Door Wide Open to Lobbyists

De Blasio’s door is open to lobbyists (NYP) Mayor de Blasio has met personally with a dozen lobbyists so far this year — most of them campaign supporters and just two shy of the 14 he huddled with in all of 2014, records show. Leading the pack was last year’s highest-earning city lobbyist, James Capalino, who met with Hizzoner three times in the last three months. Capalino hosted two fund-raisers for de Blasio’s successful mayoral run in 2013. Clients who accompanied him to the meetings included Chinese real-estate and movie-theater mogul Wang Jianlin, chairman of Dalian Wanda Group, and Janno Lieber, a top Silverstein Properties exec who bundled $11,100 for de Blasio two years ago. Capalino most recently met with the mayor on May 28 on behalf of helicopter-tour operators in lower Manhattan — an opportunity that critics of the noisy flights say they haven’t gotten. “It’s very discouraging but not surprising,” said Delia Von Neuschatz, a resident of Battery Park City who founded an advocacy group to halt the tours. Other lobbyists/campaign supporters who met Hizzoner privately included Michael Woloz, who bundled nearly $237,000 for his campaign on behalf of the yellow-cab industry but who met with him on a doctors-union labor issue on Feb. 2. * The mayor has met personally with a dozen lobbyists so far this year — most of them campaign supporters and just two shy of the 14 he huddled with in all of 2014, records show.

The New York City Board of Health voted to consider waiving a requirement that parents sign a consent form for an Orthodox circumcision ritual that can lead herpes in children, the Times reports: * At the de Blasio administration’s urging, the NYC Board of Health voted to considerwaiving a requirement that parents sign a consent form for metzitzah b’peh, an Orthodox Jewish circumcision ritual linked to herpes infections in infants. A public hearing will be held in July, and the board is expected to make a final decision in September.De Blasio has appointed allies to the New York City Board of Health ahead of its planned vote today on an ultra-Orthodox circumcision ritual that has been linked to herpes infections. The mayor has installed numerous allies on the New York City Board of Health as his administration prepares to present a controversial plan that would ease the rules on a circumcision ritual linked to herpes infections in infants. * Now We Know the Reason for the Delay The de Blasio administration has delayed presenting to the board a proposal that would no longer require parents to sign a consent form before a controversial Orthodox circumcision practice, the Journal reports * De Blasio has placed allies &amp; donors on the Board ofHealth as he seeks to ease rules on a controversial ritual.

de Blaiso Spins A Black Chruch That 421-a Was Only About Tax Breaks for Luxury Buildings

Speaking at Harlem’s FirstCorinthianBaptistChurch, de Blasio for the first time called for ending the controversial 421-a program if he doesn’t get the overhaul he has demanded.

.At the church de Blasio said $100 million condo got a tax break. "Not anymore, brothers and sisters." What the mayor was doing to his church audience was trying to bury the 421-a lead. The mayor was right to say that gentrification has changed NYC. But what he did not talk about at the church Sunday morning was the role 421-a has had on fueling gentrification and the effect of that fuel on the black community which have little to do with building luxury building in Manhattan. In the last 10 years thousands of blacks have moved out of Crown Heights, Bed Stuy and Harlem replaced by young whites who took of the 421-a mortgage tax breaks in new tax break buildings being built all over those changing communities.* Loss of 330,000 Affordable Apartments Seen (City Limits) In the background of the fight over the renewal of the state's rent regulations, a new report says New York City lost 330,000 affordable housing units since 2002 that were not subsidized. * Adams, Siegel take on tenant harassment Caribbean Life * Residents demandAdams stops pushing gentrification (New 12) Young people from around New York City rallied at Borough Hall Wednesday to demand that Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams stop pushing gentrification. Demonstrators say they are being pushed out of the neighborhoods where they grew up, and they're calling on Adams to preserve their communities instead of trying to diversify their neighborhoods. They complain that Adams supports diversifying neighborhoods by "up zoning" communities of color.

As NYC Becomes A Gilded City de Blasio Promises He Will Stop It

The Mayor Who Cannot Fix Homelessness, NYCHA, Keep Hospitals Open Crime Down is Going to Stop NYC From Continuing to Become A City of the Wealthy?

The mayor tried to confuse his audience when he said “We can talk about the pros and cons of gentrification, and we can acknowledge that it’s not all good or all bad, but we do know one thing: gentrification has changed us rapidly,” he said, arguing the status quo will drive people out of their homes. “It will make this a gilded city, a city for only those wealthy enough to be here.” * Unless Albany takes action, de Blasio said, New York will become a “gilded city, a city for only those wealthy enough to afford to be here, and we will not accept that.”

Bill de Blasio’s Battleto Save New York—and Himself (Vanity Fair) * De Blasio faces an uphill battle in regaining theconfidence of New Yorkers and taking on challenges like homelessness and crime, as some question whether he is up for the task, Brian Burrough writes in a profile of the mayor in Vanity Fair: * De Blasio aide slams rich New Yorkers’ refusal toacknowledge administration’s good work (NYDN) * A top aide to Mayor de Blasio blasted the city’s elites for refusing to acknowledge the good work the administration has done — and accused them of hating the mayor because he’s not in their swanky “golf club.” “Most of the people in (City Hall now) are not familiar to (our critics). In the past 12 years, they’ve been hanging out at (East Hampton’s posh private golf course) the Maidstone Club with (Bloomberg’s people) and it's been really nice and easy,” Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen said in a lengthy Vanity Fair profile of the mayor. “But at the end of the day ... paid child care, building rental housing, creating a ferry system — these are things any smart person running a city would be doing. The fact that these people don’t go to the same golf club as Bill de Blasio? OK, whatever. That's all this is about.” But the Rev. Calvin Butts told Vanity Fair that de Blasio didn’t do enough for black New Yorkers after Garner’s death, and he criticized the mayor for failing to fire the cop who put Garner in the chokehold.

“I think he feels comfortable in whoever is advising him that the black community is in his pocket,” said Butts, an influential black pastor in Harlem. He added, “I feel strange saying this, but ‘People in the black community, please, don’t be taken for a ride by this man.’ ”* Elected officials and other self-identified irritants have noted a shift under de Blasio compared to some of his predecessors: He has, at least when it suits him, shown a bit more deference to squeaky wheels, though those close to him are sensitive to any perception that he is too reactive to pressure, from the public or from private interests. * Hamill: Tough-talking ‘Morning Joe’ host goes soft on Bill de Blasio (NYDN)

The Daily News writes that de Blasio’s lowest favorability ratings yet show he is reaping the gloom he has sowed by lamenting about what is unfair in New York City without effectively delivering remedies

@ QuinnipiacPoll * tenure,according to a new Q poll, placing his popularity with New York City voters well behind that of Gov. Andrew Cuomo — his counterpart in a protracted municipal feud. * Part of the de Blasio administration’s plan involves locating homeless people who have shown violent tendencies and pushing them toward mental-health care. This comes as the mayor is under increasing fire for an apparently growing population of people living on the streets and after several attacks that have rattled the city. * Mayor Bill de Blasio's real poll problem (CrainsNY) The strong economy should be boosting his approval rating. * A Quinnipiac poll found just 33 percent of New York City voters think their quality of life is “good” or “very good,” 46 percent say crime is a “very serious” problem, the Daily News writes: * * In a profile in the Observer,Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. was coy about any future run for mayor, although he spoke about a number of transformative projects he hopes will change the perception of the borough: * Mayor de Blasio doesn't care about his declining pollnumbers. * White and black voters were widely split on the mayor, with 64% of blacks approving the mayor’s performance and 59% of whites disapproving. Just 40% approved of the mayor’s handling of crime and only 36% approved his handling of the NYPD, with an all-time high of 46% saying crime is a “very serious” problem in the city. Voters are tuning out statistics showing that crime remains at or near record lows, no doubt because of de Blasio’s rocky relationship with cops. Meantime, 53% of voters reported seeing more homeless on the street; 49% reported encountering more panhandling. They seem to be asking: Where’s Rudy Giuliani when we need him? Last, by a wide margin, New Yorkers believe that de Blasio turned his attention from basic mayoral duties as he has engaged in national issues. * A Summer Of Discontent For New York City (YNN) *De Blasio the Bungler (Manhattan Institute) New York City’s progressive mayor loses more often than he wins.

de Blasio Hides A Bus Company Payoff In A Putnam Democrat Housekeeper Account to Fund A Senate Democratic Take Over

What's driving political donations(CrainsNY)Last month, a man named Alexis Lodde made a $100,000 donation to a Hudson Valley Democratic Party account. It was an exceptional gift from a Texan who until recently had never made a political contribution in New York. The donation came less than two months after employees at certain bus companies, including one owned by Mr. Lodde's firm, were given a $42 million grant pushed through by Mayor Bill de Blasio. Employees at Mr. Lodde's company are expected to be among the largest beneficiaries. The Daily News reported that Mr. de Blasio and associates raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the obscure campaign account—the Putnam County Democratic Committee, whose chairman quickly transferred $433,000 to help two Democratic state Senate candidates.Berlin Rosen CutDe Blasio pals cash-in even after Democrats lose the Senate According to Crain’s New York, hundreds of thousands of dollars raised by the mayor’s team for four upstate Democrats — all of whom lost — got the money and spent it onwent to two of de Blasio’s closest political consultants, BerlinRosen and AKPD Message and Media.

Mr. de Blasio has been working to facilitate a Democratic takeover of the Senate. State law prohibits gifts of more than $10,300 to a state Senate candidate, but donors can give $103,000 to county political committees, which can then make unlimited transfers to candidates. A de Blasio spokesman said the mayor had not personally requested Mr. Lodde's gift, but declined to say who had. Mr. Lodde owns Dallas-based MV Transportation, which in 2011 purchased USA United Fleet, which operated 500 bus routes for the city's public schools. MV subsidiary Reliant Bus Co. took over those deals and maintains lucrative contracts with the Department of Education. Some 900 Reliant workers are expected to get raises from the $42 million city grant. Critics warned that the $42 million set a bad precedent. Supporters portrayed it as a safety measure, saying higher pay yields better workers to transport schoolchildren. Although Mr. de Blasio's measure was primarily meant to appease union workers at Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1181—whose pay had been cut when former Mayor Michael Bloomberg rebid school contracts in his final term—bus companies such as Mr. Lodde's are helped indirectly by the subsidy, said Carol Kellermann, president of the Citizens Budget Commission. Putnam County Republican chairman files formal complaintover Democratic donations(NYDN) The head of the Putnam County Republican Committee is asking state Board of Election Enforcement Counsel Risa Sugarman to probe whether Democrats were improperly using a county committee to skirt campaign donation limits in several key Senate races. In his complaint filed Thursday, Anthony Scannapieco Jr. said the Putnam County Democratic Committee "appears to be engaging in a pattern of soliciting or receiving donations well in excess of the $10,300 limit for the express purpose of assisting Friends of Justin Wagner, a state Senate candidate and Friends of Terry Gipson, also a state Senate candidate."

Bratton Backs Mayor Crime Increase Is Not the Bad Old Day . . . Nattering Nabobs of Negativism?

By Bill Bratton -Bratton: Crime surge not a return to NYC’s ‘bad old days’ (NYP) It’s time for a sense of proportion about the increase in shootings and murders in New York City in the first five months of 2015. While it’s true that both categories have risen over last year’s low numbers, the increase is not a harbinger of collapsing law enforcement or crime raging out of control, as some local columnists would have it. Nor is it evidence that the steep decrease over the past four years in reasonable-suspicion stops — or “stop-and-frisks,” as they’re colloquially known — has caused the increase in shootings. The NYPD has plans to counter the current rise in shootings, including reinforcing patrols this summer with police officers who usually do administrative work, and targeted investigations of known gangs and shooters.

City Hall Ties to Control the Crime Narrative By Attacking the Press

NYPD Commissioner William Bratton writes in the Post that a rise in shootings and murders in New York City is neither “a harbinger” of struggling law enforcement tactics nor the result of fewer stop-and-frisks

We may be able to moderate the increase or even reverse it over the summer.But even if we don’t succeed, the current rise is not the earth-shaking event that has been pictured. By far, the largest and most dense city in the United States remains an extraordinarily safe environment, with the lowest property-crime rates among the nation’s 25 largest cities and a murder rate lower than the nation’s as a whole. …Michael Goodwin’s not buying it, saying Bratton is waving a “white flag” at criminals and making a defense of the mayor that “reeks of politics.* Bratton, responding to a call from some police union leaders to conduct more stop-and-frisks amid an uptick in violent incidents, told reporters today the controversial tactic doesn’t really impact crime at all. “Let’s get over this issue of stop-question-and-frisk, how impactful it is, or isn’t,” Bratton said in a press conference at NYPD headquarters Monday morning. * The City Poll: Crime Tops Concerns for Bronx Residents (NY1) * "Broken Windows" policing does work. Says who?Residents of poor black neighborhoods. (Manhattan Institute) *New York City Police Commissioner Bill Bratton tells the Guardian that hiring more non-white officers is difficult because so many would-be recruits have criminal records:

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de Blasio "Don't Believe What You Read In the NYP and Daily News About Crime Rising"

Friday Do Not Believe Everything You Read in the NewYork Post': Mayor Smacks Down Tabloids (NYO) Once again, Mayor Bill de Blasio dinged the city’s two tabloids today, telling radio listeners that the New York Post and Daily News are greatly exaggerating the threat that crime and shootings pose to the five boroughs. Mr. de Blasio, a Democrat, appeared on WNYC this morning, taking call-in questions from New Yorkers for the first time since he became mayor more than a year ago. He took special aim at “New York’s Hometown Newspaper.”

A Tale of Two Press Attacks: On the Right Agnew vs On the Left de Blasio

De Blasio’s door is open to lobbyists (NYP) Mayor de Blasio has met personally with a dozen lobbyists so far this year — most of them campaign supporters and just two shy of the 14 he huddled with in all of 2014, records show. Leading the pack was last year’s highest-earning city lobbyist, James Capalino, who met with Hizzoner three times in the last three months. Capalino hosted two fund-raisers for de Blasio’s successful mayoral run in 2013. Clients who accompanied him to the meetings included Chinese real-estate and movie-theater mogul Wang Jianlin, chairman of Dalian Wanda Group, and Janno Lieber, a top Silverstein Properties exec who bundled $11,100 for de Blasio two years ago. Capalino most recently met with the mayor on May 28 on behalf of helicopter-tour operators in lower Manhattan — an opportunity that critics of the noisy flights say they haven’t gotten. “It’s very discouraging but not surprising,” said Delia Von Neuschatz, a resident of Battery Park City who founded an advocacy group to halt the tours. Other lobbyists/campaign supporters who met Hizzoner privately included Michael Woloz, who bundled nearly $237,000 for his campaign on behalf of the yellow-cab industry but who met with him on a doctors-union labor issue on Feb. 2. * The mayor has met personally with a dozen lobbyists so far this year — most of them campaign supporters and just two shy of the 14 he huddled with in all of 2014, records show.

POLICE UNION LEADER DISMISSES NYPD’S ‘BAND AID’ APPROACH-- CBS’s Marcia Kramer: “The president of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association on Tuesday issued sharp criticism of the city’s plan to reduce surging gun violence. He said more officers are the answer to prevent New York City from turning into “gun city.” -- “Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner Bill Bratton, who were at a medals ceremony on Tuesday, desperately want the city’s new anti-violence crime initiative to work to bring down a murder rate that increase by nearly 20 percent last month. But will operation “Summer All Out” work? ‘It’s a Band-Aid approach. We’ve done it before. The summer time comes, we pull everyone out that are doing sensitive, important jobs and put them out in the street,’ PBA head Patrick Lynch said.”* Bill Bratton has no desire to add more black cops (NYDN) * .@BilldeBlasio (how many 1-on-1 interviews has he done last 2 weeks?) talks to @MKramerTV re crime, &amp;“Fearmongering (WCBS)

Bratton the Pol: "Hard to Hire Black Cops Because of Their Jail Record"

City to burn food vendors who hike, hide prices (NYP)The city is about to put the bite on sleazy hot-dog vendors. The Department of Consumer Affairs says it’s launching a “crackdown” on food- cart hawkers who don’t display their..Berlin Rosen, George Artz and Global Strategy work on Menin failed bid to become Manhattan Borought President

A Progressive Mayor Working With Developers Against Prevailing Wages?

Has Anyone Notice the Mayor is Pushing for Renewal of 421-a With Changes for More Affordable Housing. What About Gentrification Displacement?

Mr. de Blasio, some complained, seems to have lost his appetite for criminal justice reform. The mayor, they said, has been too slow to take action against the police officer whose use of a chokehold on Eric Garner, an unarmed black man on Staten Island, led to Mr. Garner’s death. Other participants grumbled that Mr. de Blasio and his staff have simply not done enough to communicate with black community leaders on issues like affordable housing. The unusual congregation of community influencers, convened by the Rev. Calvin O. Butts III, was part gripe session, part strategic huddle, revealing the first hints of frustration with a mayor who won 96 percent of the black vote when he was elected in 2013. -- Rep. Hakeem Jeffries: There is “growing disenchantment with the administration in the black community. The disenchantment relates to policing issues, the mayor’s support of broken windows, his lack of support for banning chokeholds and his willingness to support making resisting arrest a felony.”- Tamika Mallory: “The police turned their backs on him and all of the sudden he is beginning to concede … Is it already to the point that we have to turn our backs on the mayor?”

Advocates for paid internships are accusing the de Blasio administration of falling short of its own progressive rhetoric when it comes to intern compensation. Many of the mayor’s interns work full-time, but are not paid, even as he pushes for a higher minimum wage.

* New York City First Lady Chirlane McCray said she felt “tremendous sadness” and “disrespect” when officers turned their backs to her and the mayor at a slain colleague’s funeral this winter, the Daily Newsreports: * McCray: I felt 'sadness,' 'disrespect' when cops turned away(NYDN) -- On the police officers who turned their backs: “It was horrible. I don’t know why the officers turned their backs,” McCray said in a wide-ranging interview on WABC-TV’s “Up Close With Diana Williams” that aired Sunday. “I believe in protest. I think there’s a time and a place for it, and that wasn’t the time,” McCray said, referring to the January funeral for Officer Wenjian Liu, where hundreds of city cops turned their backs on de Blasio and McCray as the mayor delivered his eulogy for the fallen officer. “That was a terribly sad day for the city and for those families. Those families are still grieving and it will take a long time for them to get back to whatever could be called normal,” she added. Daily News’ AdamEdelman

Lawmakers Say Governor Should Be Included In Ethics Package . . . U.S. Attorney Will Make Sure Of That . . . The Expected Plea Deal Of Former Speaker Silver Will Also Have Something to Say on the Cuomo

"More than 30 state legislators have left office in disgrace .. and their first instinct is to point fingers"

State pols say ethics package should include publicdisclosure for Cuomo(NYDN) State legislators say they are willing to enact a number of new ethics reforms, but they argue Gov. Cuomo should subject himself to more public disclosure as well. Republican and Democratic legislative sources say that while Cuomo has attacked lawmakers on the issue of outside income, the governor is making as much as $900,000 from HarperCollins for his recent memoir, which only sold a few thousand copies. They also say that perhaps there should be a ban on governors giving paid outside speeches. They note his big book advance and lucrative salary and investments of his live-in girlfriend, Food Network star Sandra Lee. While Cuomo during his first four years has not given such speeches, former Govs. Mario Cuomo and George Pataki did. * Cuomo’s former chief of staff Larry Schwartz, who left the administration on Jan. 11, is still on the state’s payroll and being paid his usual $181,560 annual salary for a job listed as “Dir of NY Off,”the Post’s Fred Dicker reports: *Cuomo's proposal for income disclosure has a few holes, (Capital)

Tenant Advocates vs. de Blasio

As the 421-a Program is Exposed As the Center of Corruption in Albany the Mayor Tries to Save the Giveaway to Developers With Limit Reforms That Even the Real Estate Board Agrees With

The advocates and the mayor want the Legislature to make big changes. These include eliminating a provision in the housing laws that removes vacated apartments from regulation once the rents hit a threshold of $2,500 a month, allowing them to float as high as the gentrification tides will take them. Advocates say this provision has led to the loss of more than 300,000 affordable apartments in the city. Other changes would eliminate landlords’ ability to automatically jack up rents 20 percent when apartments are vacated, and allow landlords to impose only temporary, not permanent, surcharges to pay for major apartment improvements. Housing advocates are also demanding the outright repeal of the tax break, called 421-a, saying it is a lavish giveaway to builders that produces far too few affordable units. Mr. de Blasio proposes instead a major overhaul. He would eliminate the break for luxury condominiums, like the $100 million penthouse on 57th Street in Manhattan, where 421-a made possible an astonishing 95 percent cut in the tax bill, while tightening it for rental projects. He would require builders across the city to rent at least 25 percent to 30 percent of a new development to the poor and working class; the current 421-a provision requires only 20 percent, and applies only in certain areas of the five boroughs. In return, landlords would receive the tax abatement for 35 years, instead of 20 to 25. Ideally, the Legislature would simply abolish 421-a, a relic of a dreary time when the city truly needed tax incentives to spur construction. But Mr. de Blasio’s measured approach has won the support of the powerful Real Estate Board of New York, the industry’s lobbying arm, which should help its prospects in Albany. * De Blasio Calls for New 'Mansion Tax' and Reform toDevelopers' Tax Breaks (SNAINFO) * De Blasio's Progressive Vision: More Trickle-DownAffordable Housing (Gothmast)

NYP Thanks de Blasio for Taking Their Advice by Going On Radio -Answering 4 Questions

Crime and Confusion in a Safer New York City(NYT Ed) Mr. de Blasio has a ready response, which he repeated on Friday. It’s that serious crime overall is still down — way down — from historic highs. That the shooting problem is largely confined to a few precincts in Brooklyn and the Bronx, where gangs and drugs hold sway. (Police Commissioner William Bratton said it’s “career criminals, killing and shooting other career criminals.”) And that he and Mr. Bratton have got this, through programs, with names like Summer All Out and Operation Impact, that will focus attention and officers on crime-plagued neighborhoods. Mr. Bratton’s remark about career criminals is meant to reassure everyone else. And the comforting statistics Mr. de Blasio cites have the virtue of being accurate. But they don’t mean much if you live in a problem precinct. Here’s what is also unsettling: the continued disagreement between the mayor and Mr. Bratton over police staffing. Mr. Bratton has sided with the City Council, which has consistently urged the hiring of 1,000 new officers. The mayor has just as consistently said that the money is needed elsewhere, and that Mr. Bratton has all the officers he needs. *Bratton: Don’t Blame Stop-And-Frisk Reduction ForMurder Spike (WCBS)

Mr. de Blasio argues that the steep reduction in stop-and-frisk and marijuana arrests has led to a manpower dividend: Cops who aren’t hassling young black and Latino men have a lot more time for smarter, better crime-fighting. But if the mayor is right, why isn’t his own police commissioner buying it? But if the mayor is right, why isn’t his own police commissioner buying it? Maybe some political game is being played here, some budget-related dance or some message being sent to the police unions. The result for those of us in the cheap seats is confusion. Do we need more cops, or not? Does the mayor trust his police commissioner as his No. 1 public-safety expert, or not? If he does trust him, why doesn’t he give him more officers? If he doesn’t trust him, that is a much bigger problem.Adding 1,000 officers to a force of 34,500 probably won’t lead to drastic results. But the split on so basic a subject suggests a level of discord in the administration that is not reassuring.

It also emboldens the critics who say Mr. de Blasio is ineptly leading the city back to the ugly 1990s.The mayor’s more fervid critics need to get a grip. But the mayor should, too. It is of barely passing interest whether he appears to be dominating Mr. Bratton, or the other way around. What matters is a unified strategy to ensure that all law-abiding citizens are treated with respect, while keeping the city safe, consolidating and perpetuating its success in lowering crime, and quieting the gunfire where it persists. * Bill de Blasio takes (some of) The Post’s advice (NYP Ed)

We’re glad to see Mayor de Blasio taking (some of) our advice — even if he feels compelled to throw the odd slap our way. Back on May 20, we noted that the last two mayors did regular radio call-in shows, and we urged him to follow suit: “Talk and listen to your constituents on a regular, publicly announced basis. You might actually learn what’s really on their minds.” Looks like de Blasio listened — because there he was Friday on WNYC, taking calls. OK, it was only four calls (one from Manhattan, three from Queens) in a half hour on “The Brian Lehrer Show.” But it’s a start. Next week, Mr. Mayor, why not do an hour? WNYC is an NPR station — support public radio! * De Blasio, on Radio, Starts Conversation With His Constituents (NYT) New York’s mayor was quizzed on the police, library funding and fights in Albany while on a call-in show on WNYC radio.The Times writes de Blasio’s critics need to get a grip when it comes to hand-wringing over crime statistics, but concedes the mayor’s and his police commissioner’s public disagreement over police staffing is concerning: * Spin City Word Games: Whose Eyes are Lying About Increased Crime? * "Crime is exploding in New York" -- Michael Goodwin: (NYP) For all that glory, Bratton, at age 67, now faces the most difficult challenge of his career. Crime is exploding in New York, but he could handle that. His problem is his boss. The police commissioner is working for a mayor who is determined to carry out a dangerous social experiment on Gotham. The boss wants peace while handcuffing the cops.NYT Calls NYC Safe

De Blasio finally takes questions from everyday New Yorkers (NYP) He took four questions during a 36-minute appearance, just weeks after getting slammed for shunning New Yorkers while answering questions from common folk on a trip to San Francisco. The mayor has also been criticized for abandoning the decades-old practice of holding town halls, although he insists he gets plenty of feedback on the streets of the Big Apple. The bulk of the radio interview focused on an uptick in murders and shootings in 2015, which Hizzoner said he takes “very seriously” and for which he is deploying additional officers to troubled precincts starting Monday.* Bill de Blasio, in Radio Appearance, Defends Approach on Crime (WSJ) New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Friday he was doing everything in his power to bring down the city's rising homicide rate even as he defended his approach to policing.

Good old Son of Sam: First Lady Chirlane McCray's bizarrenostalgia for 1977 New York City (NYDN Ed) The mantra in every discussion about quality of life in New York holds that the bad old days must never return. Now, the city comes to discover that, in fact,these are the bad old days. Mayoral first lady Chirlane McCray took a nostalgic trip back to 1977, the year she arrived in New York out of college, recalling that “the city was strong, the city was inclusive and dynamic, and we want the city to stay that way.”

Ah, yes, the halcyon era when crime was rampant, arson raged across whole neighborhoods, abandoned buildings lined miles of streets, a blackout unleashed mass rioting, the subways were covered with graffiti, tensions ran high between blacks and whites, the job base collapsed and 10% of the city moved out. Some commentators pondered the death of urban America. But, hey, you could find cheap apartments on the Upper West Side, Park Slope or anywhere else you dared to live. That’s what counted to McCray in measuring the New York of today against the New York of yore — and rendering judgment on the modern thriving metropolis through wildly jaundiced eyes.Mayor de Blasio seconded the extraordinary (one of his favorite words) motion.

While saying that McCray harbors “no illusions about how tough things were in the city in 1977,” he contended that “she made a really powerful point.” “Those were not ideal times, but at least you could find a place you could afford to live,” the mayor said, sending the mind racing toward an affordable housing program based on economic and social collapse. He wasn’t simply acting the dutiful husband. Instead, he lapsed into trying to bend reality to match his beliefs, much as he has dismissed the frightening phenomenon of cops who have stopped making stops and frisks for fear of getting hammered by superiors. Eden this is not. Nor is it the hell that seems to dwell in mayoral imagination. At worst, it’s a city that’s victim to its own successes.

And her husband, after defending his spouse, reiterated FrThe mantra in every discussion about quality of life in New York holds that the bad old days must never return. Now, the city comes to discover that, in fact,these are the bad old days. Mayoral first lady Chirlane McCray took a nostalgic trip back to 1977, the year she arrived in New York out of college, recalling that “the city was strong, the city was inclusive and dynamic, and we want the city to stay that way.”iday that the reduction of stop-and-frisk had zero correlation with this year’s increase in murders and shootings. “As we have reduced stops, we have reduced crime,” the mayor said during a live radio appearance Friday. “I think the numbers are overwhelmingly clear.“To me, this has actually been a great ratification of the fact that we can protect individual liberties while making ourselves safer.” The Daily News reported exclusively that the city is on pace to make 42% fewer stops this year as homicides are up almost 20%.

Before 421-a Tax Breaks for Developers You Could Find Afford Housing In NYC

De Blasio, asked if his wife’s pining for 1977 was a gaffe, said she was referring to the amount of affordable housing available at the time. “I think she has no illusions about how tough things were in this city in 1977,” the mayor said. “But she made a really powerful point: Until recently, good times and bad, you could find (an affordable) place to live. “I think what my wife was saying was those were not ideal times, but at least you could find a place you could afford to live.” City Hall press secretary Karen Hinton said any other interpretation of the First Lady’s remarks was “misleading and inappropriate.

Up4NYC, a lobbying coalition of building-trade unions and contractors, criticized the mayor's plan on the grounds that it wouldn’t require developers to pay union-scale wages. “The mayor’s plan will not provide middle-class wages to the workers employed on what will remain mostly taxpayer-subsidized luxury housing, and it will not significantly increase affordable housing production for New Yorkers who need it most,” Pat Purcell, head of the Greater NY Laborers-Employers Cooperation &amp; Education Trust, said in a statement. On the other hand, Stephen Spinola, president of the Real Estate Board of New York, a lobbying and trade group affiliated with the city’s big developers, praised the mayor’s plan as “ambitious, yet practical,” saying in the de Blasio press release that it will “result in the creation of much more affordable and market-rate, multifamily rental housing in New York City.”

There is No Discussion Of the Corruption Connected to the 421-a Program as the Extension of the Program is Planned in Albany

Does 421-a Destroy More Affordable Housing By Fueling Gentrification Than It Builds

Affordable Housing Has Become A Band-aid On A Cancer for Elected Officials to Protect Them From What They Are Doing to Our City With Their Tax Breaks to DevelopersCorruption probes affecting rent control extensions: Cuomo (NYP)Federal corruption probes of state lawmakers are making it harder to resolve major issues before the Legislature — particularly politically explosive matters such as extension of rent control for New York City, Gov. Cuomo said Friday. “If it was a different time in Albany, frankly, and Albany was a little bit more stable situation, I would normally take these negotiations to Albany and try to work it out among the parties,” Cuomo told business leaders at an Association for a Better New York breakfast. “Albany has a lot going on right now, let’s say.” He was responding to a question asked about the fate of the 421-a tax abatement program for developers and the law covering rent stabilization. Both lapse on June 15.Tenant advocates are demanding an end to 421-a, which they claim is a giveaway to developers even though it produces units for affordable housing.Cuomo said even those who support the program — developers and the carpenters union — are at odds over some provisions. At minimum, Cuomo promised that he and the Legislature would simply extend the current laws for both programs with few or no changes. * From Campaign 2013The Bloomberg administration’s ambitious housing plan to create or preserve 165,000 affordable units by the end of June 2014, largely through incentives to private developers, will fall short of meeting the need for affordable housing in the city. “We hardly gained anything because we lost an equal number of units from rent regulation and Mitchell Lama,” said Mr. de Blasio. “There’s over a third of the city paying more than 50% of their income for rent.” Poor Door’ in a New York Tower Opens a Fight Over Affordable Housing(NYT)As public housing becomes a relic, American cities have grown morereliant on developers, who say they can maximize their revenues and build more affordable units, by separating them from their luxury counterparts. *Real Estate Developers, Tax Breakes and Politics * BdB undecided on extending 'affordable' housing tax break (NYP) * Sad how many of these stories we've heard: Brooklynlandlords pushing black tenants out for whites: (NYP) * The Times Union writes that the New York City real estate market needs tax breaks as much as ice cream trucks need grants to market treats to kids, so the 421-a tax break should be viewed as an integrity test

NYT Reports the Mayor Is Throwing $$$ at the Problem, But Does Not Talk About What is Causing the Increased Homeless New Yorkers . . . 421-a?

De Blasio proposes a landlord-friendly tax tweak (Capital) Mayor Bill de Blasio's “sweeping” plan to reform a controversial tax break for developers will allow some landlords whose benefits are about to expire to continue receiving them, under certain conditions. De Blasio’s proposal, which will require approval in Albany, would give landlords the opportunity to extend existing 421-a tax abatements awarded before 2008 that are about to run out. The deal would allow landlords who qualified for 421-a prior to 2008 (when the abatement was last amended) to continue receiving the tax break on half of their building's property tax for 15 more years, provided they make an additional 5 percent of the building’s apartments available at an “affordable” rent. * A report from the New York City Independent Budget office finds that despite adding funds to the proposed 2016 budget for homeless services, the de Blasio administration will still need to increase funding for the city’s shelter system: * For New York City’s Working Poor, New Help in Getting Out of Homeless Shelters* State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced his office would use $1.2 million in money from its myriadsettlementswith large financial institutions to stem the city’s ballooninghomeless crisis, the Observer reports: * AG Eric Schneiderman announced his office would use $1.2 million in money from its myriad settlements with large financial institutions to stem the city’s ballooning homelessness crisis.`

Officials said New York City would commit $100 million in annual spending to combat homelessness, including funding for rental assistance, to more than 7,000 new households, anti-eviction efforts,The New York Timesreports: *Bronx citycouncilman accuses Cuomo of putting 'political favors' ahead of NYCHA repairs(NYDN) Bronx city councilman accuses Cuomo of putting 'political favors' ahead of NYCHA repairs “The notion of diverting state funds away from emergency roof replacement and into a political slush fund is morally sickening to me," Torres said.* New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer and New York City Housing Authority Chairwoman Shola Olatoye announced the authority would overhaul its oversight of warehouses in the wake of an audit, the Observer reports

For a mayor seeking to make “de Blasio” synonymous with salvation for the poor, no cause burns as fiercely as helping the city’s homeless — an astonishing 56,854 souls in the most recent count, including nearly 24,000 children. “We cannot let children like Dasani down,” Bill de Blasio said shortly before taking the oath of office, referring to a girl whose life in a fetid shelter was profiled by The New York Times. “We are simply not going to allow this kind of reality to continue.” Sixteen months later, while burnishing his credentials as a national progressive crusader waging war on economic inequality, the mayor has made scant progress toward fulfilling his promises. In fact, in important respects, the picture has worsened as well-meaning solutions have fallen far short of the mark. • Shelters now bulge with 12% more people than at his inauguration, down a smidgen from this winter’s peak. A surge in adult homelessness continues unabated, to nearly 12,000 — up 20% since de Blasio took office. • The mayor’s signature programs designed to move families out of shelters sputter at a fraction of their expected paces. At launch last September, the Department of Homeless Services projected that 4,000 families would move into private apartments by the end of June, their rent paid for up to five years by the city and state. As of mid-April, 900 had. Burned by similar programs in the past, landlords have been slow to sign up.* The statereversed courselast Friday and said it would not take away funding from 16 city homeless shelters that investigators found to be in poor condition, ending a tiff over the city’s near-record homelessness.

De Blasio: How’m I doing? Ask people outside NYC(NYP)“A lot of people outside New York City understand what happened in the first year of New York City better than the people in New York City,” Bill Deblasio. What an arrogant snake making condescending remarks about New Yorkers, Mayor Bill de Blasio’s doing a great job — just ask people around the country and not the average New Yorker.In a seven-page spread in Rolling Stone magazine, de Blasio liberally patted himself on the back for accomplishments that, he claims, Big Apple citizens don’t quite seem to grasp. “A lot of people outside New York City understand what happened in the first year of New York City better than the people in New York City,” he told the magazine. “But I’m convinced something very special happened here.”

Can You Imagine That the Mayor Says New Yorkers Are Dumb and None of the Elected Officials Attack Him

The Daily News criticizes de Blasio’s “insultingarrogance” displayed in his recent national coverage and trips to Iowa and Nebraska about his first year as mayor while jails run out of control, housing projects crumble and homelessness surges: *Mayor de Blasio'sepic ego(NYDN Ed) The insulting arrogance displayed by Mayor de Blasio in describing New Yorkers as too dumb to appreciate his greatness will be remembered as a milestone of his mayoralty. De Blasio is sure that he is smart. While he is inarguably right about his IQ, his compulsion to grade his labors as “extraordinary” and “transformative” is indeed extraordinary in distinguishing him from the many politicians convinced of their own brilliance. From the start of the administration, de Blasio’s Mayor Me tendencies have been evident in the discourtesy he has shown in arriving late at even meaningful events — or in blowing them off entirely. So persistent has been his disrespect that no one any longer expects better. More recently, while kids need educating, the parks need tending and garbage needs collecting, de Blasio has focused on claiming the title of America’s progressive tribune. In Iowa and Nebraska and on national TV, he has beat the drum loudly for liberal Democratic social and economic policy. Hosannas from those who share the ideology have confirmed to de Blasio’s ego that worship is his due. So, summing up his freshman year in office, he told an interviewer for Rolling Stone: “A lot of people outside New York City understand what happened in the first year of New York City better than people in New York City. But I’m convinced something very special happened here.” Like jails that have run out of control, housing projects that have crumbled, homelessness that has surged and a signature municipal ID program that still struggles to issue IDs. Oh, and water bills are rising. All hail Bill the Magnificent.** After unveiling a national progressive platform in Washington D.C., New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio will travel to Silicon Valley to speak at his daughter’s college, Santa Clara University, Crain’s reports:

Mayor's Poll Numbers

Latest poll shows ‘lukewarm’ support for de Blasio(NYP) Only 45 percent of New York voters think the city is moving in the right direction, while 49 percent believe it’s going the wrong way, a Wall Street Journal-NBC 4 New York- Marist poll of de Blasio’s performance has found. An even worse number for the mayor: 57 percent of people in the city think quality of life has gotten worse or stayed the same over the past year, de Blasio’s first as mayor. And those who said it stayed the same did not think that was a good thing, the Journal reported. Only about 20 percent of people think quality of life in the city has improved. The only good news for the mayor was that, despite all the criticism of his performance, his overall approval rating edged up five points over the past year, from 39 percent to 44 percent. One area in which de Blasio has been hammered is his handling of matters involving the NYPD, especially after his soft reaction to unrest in the city after the police-arrest death of Eric Garner last year. According to the poll, only 37 percent of voters approve of the way de Blasio has handled police-community relations, compared with 57 percent who disapprove. The poll also shows that de Blasio has the support of black New Yorkers, 66 percent of whom think he deserves to be re-elected. Only 28 percent of whites would like to see him stay in office eight years. * De Blasio moving NYC in wrong direction: poll (NYDN) * * A Marist poll for The Wall Street Journal and NBC 4 New York found that 49 percent of New York City voters believe the city is moving in the wrong direction, the Journal writes:

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de Blaso Spin the Press on Lateness55% of New Yorkers Think the Mayor's Constant Lateness is Irresponsible

Meanwhile, one of the mayor’s particularly bad habits got rapped: According to the poll, 55 percent of voters think his constant lateness is irresponsible.

de Blasio Show Up Late for Herman Badillo Memorial Service

The infamously tardy de Blasio showed up 20 minutes late last night to make a speech honoring the late Rep. Herman Badillo. A bill sponsored by NYC Councilwoman Laurie Cumbo, a Brooklyn Democrat, would require taxis and car services like Uber to have a back-seat panic button that could summon the police to a passenger in peril. De Blasio late for speech honoring dead politician (NYP) Mayor de Blasio continued his tardy ways Monday night, showing up 20 minutes late to make a speech honoring the late Rep. Herman Badillo. De Blasio, who got top billing on the CUNY-sponsored memorial’s program, was slated to deliver remarks at 6:30 p.m., according to his public schedule and event organizers. But when his Hizzoner didn’t show up on time, other speakers rose to take his place, until he ambled onto the stage of HunterCollege’s Danny Kaye Playhouse at 6:50 p.m.

With A Gov Trying to Blow Him Up, GOP Senate and Silver Gone

All de Blasio Will Get From Albany is This Lousy T Shirt

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio will head to Albany this week with a sprawling agenda and no shortage of political challenges during an unusually turbulent time in the Capitol, The Associated Press writes: De Blasio's visit comes at an unusually turbulent time in the Capitol, one that could prove pivotal to the always fractious relationship between City Hall and the Capitol. Manhattan Democrat Sheldon Silver - long the city's key advocate - is out as Assembly speaker, consumed by a corruption scandal. New Speaker Carl Heastie of the Bronx could be a formidable ally for de Blasio, but his leadership is untested. While they profess their friendship, the mayor and Gov. Andrew Cuomo often don't see eye to eye.* The policy priority rift between de Blasio and Cuomowill be on displaywhen the mayor comes to Albany Wednesday to testify before a joint legislative budget committee hearing.*De Blasio moving ahead with Sunnyside Yards housing plan| Capital New York *The “total disclosure” Cuomo says he wants of legislators’ outside income is relative, and would have some exemptions under his current reform proposal.* New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is expected to lobby the state legislature for control over setting the minimum wage during his Albany visit today, but has kept details of his presentation close to the vest, City &amp; State writes:

Is de Blasio A Pen Pal With the NYT? Or is the Mayor Flacking for Himself to Excuse Another Lateness?

The Mayor Offers to Increase the City's Contributions to the MTA From $100 Million to $125 Million the MTA is Asking for $2.5 Billion

New York’smess transit and how to pay to fix it (NYDN Ed) Now that Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Tom Prendergast has dunned Mayor de Blasio for $2.5 billion to support transit improvements, New York looks forward to the even larger bill he will submit to Gov. Cuomo. Prendergast projects that the MTA needs $32 billion in capital investments over the next five years. With Cuomo securing a $1 billion federal loan, the MTA can account for $18 million, leaving a $14 billion hole. That’s why he’s hitting up de Blasio for $2.5 billion.

Mayor Bill de Blasio called U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren “a powerful voice” in the fight against inequality, praise that comes as he seeks to push the Democratic Party to the left in the 2016 presidential primary, * A Quinnipiac University Poll found that New York City voters say 46 to 42 percent that de Blasio's involvement in national affairs is distracting him from his duties at City Hall:BdB goes to DC as anadvance man for Hillary (Politico) [S]o far, Clinton stands far ahead of her likely competitors—Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb, and former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee—in polling, reducing pressure on her to appease liberals. In that vacuum, Warren and [Mayor Bill] de Blasio have sought to position themselves as kingmakers among activists in early-voting and swing states, a role de Blasio has pursued by stopping in Iowa and Wisconsin. His “Progressive Agenda” is designed to be broad enough for Clinton and other Democrats to embrace whole-heartedly: he is expected to call for universal pre-kindergarten, a higher minimum wage, and a paid family leave policy—all of which Clinton has mentioned favorably in recent months. ... “The mayor’s stop in Washingtoncomes at a time when Clinton has been caught between Obama and Warren over supporting the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement she helped negotiate as secretary of state. Warren and Obama traded barbs over the weekend, as the president told Yahoo News Warren is ‘a politician like everybody else’ when trying to explain her opposition to the trade deal.” * Bill de Blasio and Elizabeth Warren Talk IncomeInequality (NYO) *The Post writes that de Blasio needs to lead by example and provide paid sick leave for new moms and those caring for family members at home before he lectures other parts of the country on the topic:

Hey Bill, there’s a reason it’s called a “Bronx cheer.” Mayor de Blasio whined to a crowd of hayseeds in the Midwest about how New Yorkers are too mean to him at baseball games — and said he was jealous how well his Milwaukee counterpart is greeted by fans. “I go to quite a few baseball games in my city of New York, and I gotta admit — the reception isn’t always that cordial,” he added. “People recognize me, all right. But oftentimes our exchanges are limited to a few choice words . . . or even a particular finger!” * As de Blasio embarks on trips to WashingtonD.C. and California to discuss his anti-inequality agenda, he opens himself up to criticism that he is not prioritizing problems at home, the Times reports: * Mayor de Blasio’s Days on the Road Fuel Criticism at Home (NYT) Mayor Bill de Blasio, seemingly determined to reshape the future of national politics, has left himself open to criticism that he is not prioritizing problems in New York.

“That’s the Way We Play Our Game”(City Journal) New York City’s first family has cynically made political use of their children. Throughout his career, New York mayor Bill de Blasio has been accused of using his family as a political prop. During his 2009 campaign for public advocate, then-council member Charles Barron, a former Black Panther, called de Blasio’s frequent use of his black wife and biracial children in campaign literature “disgraceful” and “an insult to the black community.” Barron’s criticism didn’t keep de Blasio from winning—or from redeploying the strategy in his 2013 mayoral campaign. In that race, television and print ads presented the happy, mixed-race de Blasios doing their signature “slap dance.”

Teenage Dante de Blasio’s giant Afro was credited with helping his father win 42 percent of the critical black vote in the Democratic primary and sparing him a runoff. De Blasio sailed to a 50-point victory in the general election. Throughout his career, New York mayor Bill de Blasio has been accused of using his family as a political prop. During his 2009 campaign for public advocate, then-council member Charles Barron, a former Black Panther, called de Blasio’s frequent use of his black wife and biracial children in campaign literature “disgraceful” and “an insult to the black community.” Barron’s criticism didn’t keep de Blasio from winning—or from redeploying the strategy in his 2013 mayoral campaign. In that race, television and print ads presented the happy, mixed-race de Blasios doing their signature “slap dance.” Teenage Dante de Blasio’s giant Afro was credited with helping his father win 42 percent of the critical black vote in the Democratic primary and sparing him a runoff. De Blasio sailed to a 50-point victory in the general election.

Mayor de Disney's Fantasy World Future Also Applies to Managing the City

In his mayoral campaign, Bill de Blasio made bold promises to apply progressive values to transform New York for the better. Now, he’s promising even more — more than anyone could ever imagine. Sixteen months into his mayoralty, de Blasio Tuesday published a sprawling array of intentions in a mission statement that amounted to 322 pages of “huh?” because the grandeur of his goals far exceeded the credibility of his plans for getting from here to there. He says New York will reduce unnecessary incarceration, deliver cheap broadband to all, open breastfeeding rooms, repair public housing’s chronically leaky roofs and become a city whose residents eat lots more fruits and vegetables. And so much more, in a game plan that conquers environmental ills and social and inequality in one giant swoop. Where to begin?Not with funding, details of which were nonexistent. Nor with benchmarks for measuring progress because those, too, were largely absent. Nor with persuasive, confidence-building evidence that anyone in the world could reach de Blasio’s target of reducing the city’s emissions of greenhouse gases by 80% by 2050. Realism also requires noting that de Blasio pins many of his hopes on Albany. If the Legislature and governor fail to approve an agenda that includes funding energy efficiency, overhauling tax credits for cleaning up polluted land and a substantial minimum wage hike, a good portion of the mayor’s dreams are DOA. The mayor’s document lapsed here and there into incoherence. Asserting that “people are more likely to obey the law when they believe those who are enforcing it have the legitimate authority to do so,” de Blasio envisions fighting crime by “the building of neighborhood-justice mapping centers that will engage residents and promote cohesion through joint action.” Once more: Huh? * De Blasio’s long-term environmental goals, which include eliminating all waste sent to landfills by 2030, are causing some to question how the mayor will accomplish those feats, The New York Times writes * FUZZY BLAZ VISION: Mayor unveils 'One New York' manifesto detailing grand goals for city's future, but fails to address its cost (NYDN) * Green v. red (NYP) * Mayor de Blasio releases lofty goals for NYC future, butcritics say plan lacks specifics (WSJ) * The de Blasio administration released a report that argued the city could move 800,000 residents away from the poverty line within a decade if Albany authorizes a $15 minimum wage in the city, Capital New York reports:

Water Increase Not My Fault de Blasio

De Blasio sought to distance himself from an administration document that projected the city would continue a practice he criticized as a candidate that involves enriching New York City’s budget at the expense of water ratepayers. * Mayor Bill de Blasio distanced himself from a projection that showed the city would continue to raise water rates, a practice he had criticized, while the city offered new projections, The Wall Street Journal writes * While running for mayor, de Blasio criticized his predecessor for rising rent payments from the New York City Water Board to the city, but the payments are expected to grow 32 percent by 2019, the Journal reports

More On de Blasio's City Where Crime is Up Where 91 Failing Persistent Schools Remain Open

A friend who is no fan of Mayor de Blasio’s summarizes the headlines. “What a week!” he writes. “Monday we learned murders are up 20 percent this year.Now we learn that subway delays are up 45 percent. So here’s my question: Which movie should I rent for the weekend: ‘Taxi Driver,’ ‘Midnight Cowboy’ or ‘Back to the Future’?” New restrictions on school suspensions will make it harder for teachers and principals to keep order in the classroom. The Bad Kids Lobby convinced the educrats that the rights of troublemakers to disrupt an entire class, including cursing out the teacher, are as important as the rights of the good kids trying to learn. And even as he keeps opposing high-performing charter schools, the mayor moved to reward failing district schools. * A de Blasio flashback: he supported AY for "over 3000 low-income units" (nope); "I will take what I can get" (AYR) Flashback 2008 De Blasio claims AY would have 3000 low-income units (AYO)

Mayor de Blasio on Monday scolded the cops who used NYPD computers to edit Wikipedia pages — but his memory got hazy when asked how it was any different from his campaign staffers making changes to his own page on the Web site. In 2012, The Post reported that staffers for de Blasio, the then-public advocate and a mayoral candidate, altered his Wikipedia page by removing Warren Wilhelm as his birth name and adding that he is of “German-American and Italian-American heritage.” “Of course, we update the page,” de Blasio spokesman Wiley Norvell said at the time. “That’s become standard practice for public officials.” But on Monday, when pressed about those changes, de Blasio said he didn’t remember them — and then added they could only be made if it were part of a staffer’s job responsibilities. * Brooklyn lawyer files complaint, demands investigation into cops who edited Eric Garner Wikipedia page (NYDN) FlashbackCity pols rewriting records (NYP) * Christine Quinn Caught Engaged In Wikipedia Rewriting * * Former New York City mayoral candidate Sal Albanese blasts the current mayor, saying, “He's probably the least qualified of all the mayors I've worked with," in an interview with City &amp; State's Gerson Borrero:

NYPD computers have been used to make changes to online encyclopedia Wikipedia’s pages describing cases of alleged police brutality, it was reported on Friday. The alterations to the free-access site were tracked to the NYPD through Internet protocol addresses, which can be publicly tracked by using various websites. “The matter is under internal review,” Detective Cheryl Crispin, an NYPD spokeswoman, told Capital New York. Computers on the department’s network at 1 Police Plaza were used to edit and try to delete Wikipedia entries for well-known victims of police altercations — such as Eric Garner, Sean Bell and Amadou Diallo, the report said.*

Before Writing for Mayor de Blasio, He Wrote About Love (NYT) Ryan Dodge’s past experience as a dating columnist was a worthy education for a budding speechwriter for New York’s mayor.* New York City First Lady Chirlane McCray’s role in the administration has evolved from the involvement in day-to-day operations people once anticipated to focusing on issues she personally relates to, the Timesreports:*Ryan Dodge, a speechwriter for de Blasio,once workedas a dating columnist for Glamour’s website. He’s married now, and dabbles in fiction on the side.

A meteorologist and parents questioned the decision to keep New York City schools open on Thursday, despite the fact conditions were later harrowing enough for a plan to slide off a La Guardia runway, the Post writes:

The Corruption Progressive Coalition

Blasio praised the speaker, now under federal investigation, with a phrase usually reserved for line-of-duty cops

De Blasio’s man in ‘blue’ is Sheldon Silver (NYP) Turns out Mayor de Blasio has shown his unwavering support for “the thin blue line” — just not the one most people are familiar with. The embattled mayor uttered the colloquial term for police to heap support on the unlikeliest of public protectors: Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. At a closed-door meeting of Silver’s Democratic conference last year, the then-mayor-elect praised the speaker, who is currently under investigation by federal prosecutors, by using a phrase usually reserved for line-of-duty cops.

The Style Over Substance Mayor Floats Calmly In His Own Reality and Imaginary Majority

Mayor Bill de Blasio, confronting the gravest crisis of his young administration, has been by turns composed and defiant, empathetic and indignant, urging calm in one moment and lashing out in frustration the next. In other words, he has acted like himself: a confident but mercurial leader whose singular political style has not wavered, even in the face of a potentially career-defining flash point over the police and race. He is turning to stagecraft, arranging for landmarks of the Manhattan skyline to dim their lights on Tuesday evening in tribute. The mayor’s approach will be tested in the coming days. Mr. de Blasio and his aides hope the Christmas holiday will ease tensions and allow them to seek a more civil and tempered discussion. Aides to the mayor say that they are intent on de-escalating the conflict, and that they have been effective at it.

de Blasio Work Out Breaks the Law and Not to Healthy for the Rest of Us

"Mayor’s cars running while he jogs at Slope Y …leaving a car idling is also against the law.” (Brooklyn Paper)Finally, it’s important to note that New York’s police force has 6,000 fewer officers than it did when Michael Bloomberg became mayor. So far, de Blasio has shown no sign of wanting to bring the number back up by hiring additional cops. To implement his new strategies, however, he may need to bring on at least 1,000 new officers right away and probably 1,000 more at the beginning of 2016. De Blasio’s predicament offers a chance to reevaluate NYPD operating strategies in 2015. We need to take a new look at neighborhood policing and get out from under the shadow of Broken Windows. NYPD IG Right Back New York City’s Office of Inspector General, created to monitor the NYPD, referred more than half the complaints it received to the NYPD’s internal investigation body, according to its first annual report, The Wall Street Journal reports:

Daily News Blames de Blaio, Tell Him and PBA to Grow Up

Daily News casts apox on both their houses in de Blasio/union fight (NYDN)De Blasio and police union leaders, starting with Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch, have been at war since the Staten Island grand jury declined to vote an indictment in the chokehold death of Eric Garner. The conflict has been ugly, childish and beneath the dignity of true New York leaders. Now, though, the mayor and the union chiefs have brought the city to the brink of danger. Now is the time for the mayor, Lynch and Bratton to end the war between de Blasio and large numbers of the Finest. Now, before there is blood on anyone’s hands.

The time has come for de Blasio to accept the responsibility he bears for sparking the conflict. However meritorious he thinks his positions have been, he conveyed during his election campaign that he viewed the NYPD as rife with race-based abuses. He then cemented the impression while in office by placing the Rev. Al Sharpton on equal footing with Bratton and by supporting measures that place cops under intense scrutiny and put them in danger of personal lawsuits. Finally, his remarks after the Garner decision suggested that he viewed police action in the case both as an outgrowth of centuries of racial oppression and as evidence for why he has warned his mixed-race son Dante to be wary when interacting with cops. While de Blasio’s words likely would have passed without comment in other contexts, his utterances in the setting conveyed that he views the NYPD as infected by racial animosity. If those be his beliefs, mayoral duty calls on de Blasio to reconsider, clarify and apologize.

The de Blasio Mob Includes Union Soldiers From 5 Families

City Hall insiders call them the “Five Families” — the politically plugged-in unions whose leaders often act as capos to enforce Mayor de Blasio’s progressive agenda

Several sources rattled off the names of the unions that flex their muscles whenever a wayward politician needs to be brought in line. They include giant healthcare workers union SEIU/1199; the union representing doormen and other buildings staff; the hotel workers union; the teachers union; and the Communication Workers of America District 1, which covers a mix of public- and private-sector jobs. The five unions earlier went to bat for de Blasio over his universal pre-kindergarten program, bucking Gov. Cuomo. Serious offenders have received phone calls ordering them to “come in and meet with the Five Families,” according to two sources. The uniformed workers’ unions don’t embrace the mayor’s politics, and the sleepy giant DC37, the largest civilian union, doesn’t have the same sway in the administration. President George Gresham was the first union leader to endorse de Blasio. City Hall insiders call them the “Five Families” — the politically plugged-in unions whose leaders often act as capos to enforce de Blasio’s progressive agenda. They are: SEIU 1199, 32 BJ, HTC, the UFT and CWA.

Mayor Bill de Blasio on Tuesday said his administration was frozen out of the decision by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the MTA to shut the city’s subways. “We found out just as it was being announced,” de Blasio told reporters. “We did not get a lot of advance notice.” He defended authorities’ handling of the expected massive snowstorm — including shutting down all roads, schools and mass transit hours before the predicted blizzard — insisting that New Yorkers merely “got lucky” when the accumulation barely topped 6 inches. * Economists say that virtually shutting down the entire New York City metropolitan for the recent blizzard was costly, but should not have a lasting effect on the region,the Times reports: *The Daily Newswrites that Cuomo was wrong to give de Blasio only half an hour’s notice before publicly announcing the subways would shut down ahead of the blizzard: * The Postcalls the transit shutdown “scandalous” and notes that the underground subway system was built in response to the blizzard of 1888 and has since served as a lifeblood during inclement weather:

Has NY Become A City of Snow Wimps or Do Pols Know Their Poll Numbers Go Up When They Are Seen Taking Charge in A Snow Storm?

Capalino, Advance and Bertha Lewis All Are Working to Stop the East 91st Marine Transfer Station

Lobbyist shoots to #1 in NYC after backing de Blasio for mayor(NYP) A veteran lobbyist who was a major supporter of Bill de Blasio’s run for mayor in 2013 saw his business nearly double in 2014 after his pal was elected, records show. Jim Capalino reported hauling in $8.2 million from 237 clients last year — up from the $4.6 million earned by his downtown Manhattan firm during the last year of the Bloomberg administration in 2013. The firm also signed 69 new clients, according to records released Monday by the City Clerk. Capalino’s surge was enough to dethrone the city’s perennial No. 1 lobbyist — Suri Kasirer, of Kasirer Consulting, whose billings also rose, from $6.6 million to $7.7 million.Among the new clients that swarmed to Capalino + Co. were a number trying to change the mayor’s position on public projects, including Asphalt Green. The group has been engaged in a protracted fight over the East 91st Street Marine Transfer Station that is under construction near GracieMansion. It reported hiring Capalino’s firm to limit the impact of construction and long-term operations of the future trash site, which the mayor has supported. Uber, which wants to avoid further city-imposed regulations as it competes with the yellow-cab industry, also hired Capalino.

“Picking the mayor has helped his business explode, but he’s always been very competent,” fellow lobbyist Hank Sheinkopf said of Capalino. Capalino hosted two fund-raisers for de Blasio’s successful campaign — including a Roosevelt Hotel bash featuring former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in October 2013 — where he was listed as a co-chair expected to bring in at least $25,000. Kasirer was also a $25,000 co-chair at the event, which pulled in over $1 million for de Blasio.He has since donated to the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City, a nonprofit arm of City Hall chaired by de Blasio’s wife, Chirlane McCray. Among other top lobbying firms, Pitta Bishop Del Giorno &amp; Giblin — which consulted on Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito’s campaign for the top council spot — also boosted its billings after backing a winner. The firm climbed from seventh place in 2013 — with $2.1 million in business — to fourth place in 2014, with $3.3 million in billings. * Lobbying Report

WSJ Says de Blasio Walks A Fine Line, Seem More Like Stumbles Through Liberal Agenda and Managing NYC

New York’s Mayor Walks a Fine Line(WSJ) Mayor Bill de Blasio’s pledge to enact a liberal agenda while leading the nation’s largest city is testing his ability to govern as a representative of the Democratic Party’s activist wing as he moves to heal rifts with police.

De Blasio has problems all over. In Albany, "He has no political capital" &amp; lots of "political enemies"

After de Blasio’s unsuccessful effort to help the Democrats win back the state Senate and his damaged relationship with the NYPD, de Blasio’s allies in Albany want him to lie low in 2015 because he’s “toxic,” the Daily News’ Ken Lovett writes:* Cuomo has let it be known he will push for major education reforms in 2015, for this reform to work, de Blasio must take the lead in pressing for the powers Chancellor Carmen Farina needs to boost school performance* Mayor de Blasio'smojo weakened in Albany

de Blasio Pisses Off the Permanent Government

"Exasperated mayoral aides said that Mr. de Blasio has time and again voiced support for the police" they still don't get it

The city’s business elite may finally be waking up to the fact that Mayor de Blasio’s policies are as bad for the local economy as they are for everything else in Gotham. This normally timid group is frantic over the toxic state of relations between the mayor and the police. They’re freaked by the specter of a paralyzed police force, afraid to enforce the law because to do so risks the wrath of the mayor, violent p

The problem with DEB is that he's a political operative &amp; not a leader thus he's surrounded &amp; comfortable by people like him

de Blasio's Tea Party Problem

Bill de Blasio’s Tea Party Problem (Daily Beast) Just as Tea Partiers hate being defined by the Confederate flags at their rallies, the mayor doesn’t want peaceful protests to be defined by the fringe. But he’s part of the problem. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio should know better. s his relations with the NYPD frayed even further, he tried to flip the script and blame the media for their coverage of the divisive police protests. “Are you going to keep dividing us?” asked de Blasio. “Twenty-five thousand people marched down one of our streets a few days back, absolutely peaceful, no chants like that, peacefully calling for what they believed in as American citizens, and the NYPD protected them.” The New York City mayor was understandably frustrated at being asked whether he approved of protest chants like “NYPD, KKK, how many kids did you k

NYT Paints A Clueless Picture of the Mayor

de Blasio "Everything is Under Control" Turns to Campaign Manager for Help

Blunder alienated moderates/white liberals

In Police Rift,Mayor de Blasio’s Missteps Included Thinking It Would Pass(NYT)Not long after Mayor Bill de Blasio sat beside the Rev. Al Sharpton at a July summit meeting on police reform, a political adviser gave the mayor a blunt assessment: You have a problem with the cops. Rank-and-file officers felt disrespected by the mayor, the adviser explained, and were dismayed to see Mr. Sharpton, a longtime critic of theNew York Police Department, embraced at City Hall. But Mr. de Blasio, a Democrat, rejected the notion that officers disliked him. His message, the adviser later recalled, was clear: Everything was under control.

In recent days, Mr. de Blasio has sounded downcast, according to aides who have spoken with him. The manager of his mayoral campaign has returned to help. And his team is considering focus groups and a poll to refine the mayor’s message to New Yorkers who may have soured on him.

"The raw fury from union leaders after the shootings caught City Hall by surprise." 2 cops murdered in broad daylight &amp; they were surprised?*

This @nytimes piece, in every paragraph, paints a picture of an incredibly clueless, yet arrogant "mayor's team"*“Aides also signaled that they would like to settle outstanding contracts. ‘If anyone in our work force feels they got the shaft from past mayors or governors, we are certainly committed to addressing their real issues,’ Peter Ragone, a senior adviser to Mr. de Blasio,

The de Blasio’s administration said Tuesday that it would provide free space in public school buildings to a dozen new or expanding charter schools, including 10 run by Eva Moskowitz, one of the mayor’s fiercest rivals on the issue, the Times reports: * The bad blood between the NYPD and blacks predates the recent tragedies and it won’t get better until police accept that they are part of the problem, too, but people who reflexively blame cops are part of the problem, as well, Newsday’s AlvinBessent writes: * New York City Will Provide Free Space for a Dozen Charter Schools(NYT)

Mr. de Blasio’s Call for Harmony(NYT) The murder of two policemen in Brooklyn has inflamed rifts between the police and Mayor Bill de Blasio and between the police and the public. Mr. Bratton had chosen his words poorly earlier in the day, in a morning TV interview, saying that “the targeting of these two police officers was a direct spinoff of this issue of these demonstrations.”He should have made clear that the only one responsible for the killings is the killer, Ismaaiyl Brinsley. Mr. Bratton’s 35,000 officers, in whom Mr. Lynch has been trying mightily to stoke a sense of grievance and victimhood, need to hear from him that this administration fully supports the police, and that gestures of contempt — like turning their backs on the mayor — are out of place.

The protests for police reform should not be stifled — they should be allowed to continue, and be listened to. The protesters and their defenders, including Mayor de Blasio, need offer no apologies for denouncing misguided and brutal police tactics and deploring the evident injustice of the deaths of unarmed black men like Eric Garner. As Mr. de Blasio noted on Monday, a vast majority of demonstrators are “people who are trying to work for a more just society,” a mission that has nothing to do with hating or killing cops. Those who urge violence are on the fringe, Mr. de Blasio said, rightly denouncing them and urging New Yorkers to report them. Mr. de Blasio is right when he insists that harmony is possible. Hating police brutality and respecting the police are not contradictory impulses. “Leaders have to rise above the fray and the anger and the back-and-forth, and take us somewhere,” he said on Monday. That somewhere has to be better than where we’ve been.* A revolting lack of respect from anti-NYPD protesters(NYDN Ed) * Former PC Ray Kelly: NYPD had 70% approval rating overall in 2013 &amp; 66% in African Americancommunities

After de Blasio woke up “sluggish” yesterday and showed up late for a memorial for victims of Flight 587 in Queens, the state GOP sent him two cans of Red Bull in the hopes that they would help him “cut through the fog,” Gannett Albany reports:

Mayor Arrived Late By Boat to the Rockaways Where He Discontinued Ferry Service

The mayor’s mode of transportation struck a particular nerve: In October, his administration discontinued a ferry service between Manhattan and the Rockaways that had operated since Hurricane Sandy. Lisa O’Shea, 55, who works at a copy center near where the memorial was held, cited divine intervention. “He had the luxury of taking a boat over, like we’d like to do,” she said. “God punished him. That fog was intentional.” *

Editorial: It’s de Blasio time (NYDN) Making everyone wait for him. The lack of consideration shown by Mayor de Blasio in so often running late caught up to the city’s tardy chief executive when he failed to arrive on time at an annual memorial ceremony for the 260 people killed in the crash of Flight 587. Compounding his disrespect for the loved ones of the lost, the mayor then tried to snow them. He blamed a harbor fog for unavoidably delaying the police launch that ferried him to BelleHarbor, Queens.

“(A)s a progressive, I know my party need not search for its soul – but rather, its backbone.”* De Blasio Blames 'Rough Night' and Fog for Missing Flight587 Ceremony (DNAINFO) * On Wednesday, Mr. de Blasio, who swept into office promising to reduce income inequality and promote racial equity, published an op-ed article urging Democrats around the country — many in far more conservative environs than New York City — to adopt his own policy priorities for the 2016 elections. “This year, too many Democratic candidates lost sight of those core principles, opting instead to clip their progressive wings,” Mr. de Blasio wrote.(NYT) * Blaming the non-voters — liberals’ turnout excuse(NYP) The Times has it that our voters stayed home because of “anger and frustration at the relentlessly negative tone of the campaigns.”

WNYC TV and Radio Was Founded to " Dissemination of public information to the people of the City of New York upon an enlarged scale and therefore of a higher caliber"

De Blasio turning city’s TV station into campaign arm(NYP) NYC Media, the city’s production arm that includes NYC TV, has 49 staffers on the payroll. The station’s $5.7 million budget comes from taxpayer funds, a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and licensing payments by cable providers. One weekly show, “City Scoop,” consists of one-minute capsules on mayoral ribbon-cuttings, announcements and initiatives. “Since we’re owned by the city, we’re essentially de Blasio’s media arm. We follow him around because we are his,” the insider said. A September “City Scoop” episode shows the mayor high-fiving kids while announcing after-school programs, then flashes to de Blasio at a press conference with US Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and Govs. Cuomo and Chris Christie. “It’s all mayor,” said Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, who wants other officials and professionals to have input. “Nobody pays any attention to this. There’s no real oversight. They can kind of do what they want.” Bloomberg also used the programming to promote his leadership, but de Blasio treats it like a campaign ad, the source claimed. “He milks it like crazy,” the insider said. “It seems like he’s still running.” De Blasio hired Janet Choi, a former TV reporter and producer, as the station’s general manager. She is a de Blasio pal and has boasted of plans to spend Thanksgiving with the mayor and his family, the source said.

Grover A. Whalen described himself as "Mr. New York" for his autobiography. Indeed, at various times he was the city's official and unofficial greeter of royalty, celebrity and the political elite. He was a businessman and a public relations guru, and is perhaps best known as President of the 1939-1940 World's Fair. "In March, 1922, a proposal came before the Board of Estimate and Apportionment for the establishment of a Municipal Wireless Broadcasting Station. Upon my suggestion as Commissioner of Plant and Structures, the Borough President of Queens made the proposal, pointing out that recent scientific developments in this new medium made possible the dissemination of public information to the people of the City of New York upon an enlarged scale and therefore of a higher caliber than was possible heretofore."*Channeling Mayor Bill (NYP) The city doesn’t need its own television station, but it seems the mayor does. As Susan Edelman and Amber Jamieson reported in The Post, the mayor is turning a “public” TV station into a vanity channel for his political and personal interests. Officially, it’s called NYC TV, but given the mayor’s role in dictating content, it would be better to call it WBdB-TV — for Bill de Blasio. The programming includes a feature the mayor ordered up on dancer and “healer” Alessandra Belloni — an old NYU pal who performed at Bill’s wedding. Her “spider dance” is supposed to help domestic-violence victims overcome trauma. It was filmed in September.

Mayor Santa OWS

de Blasio Who Join OWS Protests, Now Redistributes Wall Street Surplus Tax $$$ To His Friends and Political Supporters

Wall Street’s success turns de Blasio into Santa(NYP) The city’s Independent Budget Office last spring predicted Wall Street-driven personal income-tax revenue will come in at $100 million more this year than de Blasio’s budgeteers had estimated — and $500 million above that over the next two years. And state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli had even better news during the summer: He estimated the income-tax surplus will come in closer to $800 million, most of the dough generated by unanticipated financial-sector growth. That’s pretty much what’s happening — some estimates put the potential surplus at $1.2 billion. Not surprisingly, City Hall is giddy. Exhibit A, of course, is last spring’s lollapalooza of a teachers-union contract — a $9 billion pact so fat that it won’t be fully paid off until 2018. It loaded roughly 20% in new raises on top of the 40%-plus boosts extracted by the United Federation of Teachers during the Bloomberg years.

Never Forget

The fact that the deal came shortly after the American Federation of Teachers, the UFT’s parent organization, dropped $320,000 on de Blasio’s not-for-profit slush fund, the Fund for One New York, is wholly coincidental, of course. And then there’s the growth in city jobs. Full-time employment in municipal government grew by 3,151 between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30 — a 1.2% increase The growth is driven, for the most part, by hiring to staff up de Blasio’s signature pre-K education program — a $300 million undertaking funded with state money this year but with only promises from Albany in place for next year and beyond. Progressives cheer these generous union contracts and settling cases like the Central Park 5. It’s true that New York’s city-funded spending ballooned by some 65% during the Bloomberg years — from $29 billion to more than $49 billion, measured against inflation of just 29%. But while Mayor Mike’s reign was anything but austere, he also took care to squirrel away rainy-day dough — handing de Blasio more than $1 billion in mad money as a welcome-to-City-Hall present.* EXCLUSIVE: Central Park Five seek an additional $52 million forwrongful imprisonment in 1989 rape of jogger. (NYDN) *Enough is enough(NYDN Ed) The Central Park 5 don’t need another pay day. * City makes $743.4M deal with school principals: officials(NYDN)

To the Editor: Re “Mayor’s Tardiness Angers Attendees at a Memorial” (news article, Nov. 13): Mayor Bill de Blasio’s lateness is now understood as a personality trait, irritating for those affected, but part of his distinctiveness. But chronic lateness displays a lack of character and obvious disregard for the other. It is particularly galling in someone who purports to care a great deal about others. Regarding the missed moment of silence at the anniversary of Flight 587, the 2001 plane crash in Queens: His absurd excuses of not sleeping well the night before and fog delaying his boat speak for themselves. But I will add that the average considerate person leaves plenty of time to arrive somewhere, not planning the trip in a best-case scenario to arrive on the dot of the appointed time, but early! DEBBIE PLUMER Brooklyn, Nov. 13, 2014* "Mr Mayor,don't you realize that these unforced errors overshadoweverything else that you are trying to accomplish?" * The de Blasio Diaries, Chapter 6: Fog of Snore(Vanity Fair) New York’s mayor dad enjoys a midnight snack, and contemplates the importance of punctuality.

Will de Blasio's His Normally Puppet Council to Shut Down the Rein in the Cops Bill?

Mayor Bill de Blasio needs to flesh out his vague policies on how and when the city should intervene.

School suspensiond steady, despite mayor’s vow to reduce them(NYP) Mayor de Blasio vowed to lower the number of school student suspensions but the figure has remained about the same over the past two school years. School administrators doled out 53,504 suspensions during the 2013-14 school year — 39 more than the previous year, according to school data.

The Press Does Not Hold Pols to Their Campaign Promises

McMcmanus NYP " Just as he wonders why anybody would have thought he was serious last spring when he promised to campaign hard for a Democratic state Senate in return for the backing of the Working Families Party. “I won the endorsement. And that’s what’s really relevant,” he said afterward. And he has scarcely lifted a finger for Senate Democrats since. “I am the government,” Cuomo once announced. Bill de Blasio leaves a hospital protest in handcuffs (Capital 2013) And then there is Mayor de Blasio — so unfocused and self-absorbed that it’s news when he shows up anywhere on time; so unsure of his message that he can speak only in superlatives, and so eager to please the authority figures in his life that he can scarcely say no to anyone. For the mayor, there are no plain-vanilla policies. They are all “transcendent!” That is, when they are not “transformative!” Or profound!” Or “momentous!” Or maybe even, “most-bestest!” (Well, not yet. But soon!) Meanwhile, his press releases are pamphlets — chock-a-block with praise for the mayor from politicians and the public alike.

McMcmanus NYP "Or maybe it’s that he just speaks in tongues. A new NYPD training program meant to change the department “profoundly,” he said Thursday, includes “verbal judo [which] in effect means learning how to defuse a crisis first through dialogue before having to resort to physical means.”Here’s a rough translation: “When the Rev. Al and I get done with this department, nobody’s going to recognize it.” Which would indeed be profound."

You know how people say they’re tired of bad news — that we should have more outlets dedicated solely to good news? Turns out New York already has one. It’s Mayor de Blasio’s YouTube channel. It carries videos produced by NYC TV, a taxpayer-funded public-television channel. In two exclusives, The Post has reported how Mayor Bill has injected himself into the station’s content, ordering up, for example, a feature on an old friend famous for her “spider bite” dance.

Developers Pressure Kills de Blasio's Inclusionary Proposed Increase

Mayor Bill de Blasio’s forthcoming mandatory inclusionary housing proposal is more likely to hover around a 20 percent affordability requirement—a ratio associated with the current Inclusionary Housing Program—rather than the increase to 30 percent or more that some have suggested, Crain’s reports:

Pay to Play Halloween . . . Trick or Trick Campaign Corruption

De Blasio’s Halloween party costumes were free(NYP) The Halloween costumes Mayor de Blasio and wife Chirlane McCray donned during Tuesday’s Halloween party at GracieMansion were paid for by a Brooklyn company that donated thousands to Hizzoner’s campaign fund last year. Broadway Stages — which city records show funneled at least $25,000 through its employees to the mayor — rented the costumes from Abracadabra, according to a de Blasio spokesperson. The ancient Greece-themed outfits cost about $350 to rent, according to the Abracadabra Web site. Broadway Stages, which bills itself as a “film, television and music production” facility, helped arrange for the mayor to appear on the CBS drama “The Good Wife” after he took office.

De Blasio Gives UFT Their Contract Magic Class Size Is No Longer A Problem

The teachers union is going soft on Mayor de Blasio in its campaign to reduce class sizes. During Michael Bloomberg’s tenure at City Hall, the United Federation of Teachers blasted out press releases and held press conferences every September decrying the number of overcrowded classrooms.

Progressive Leadership Breaking Its Own Rules Allowing Homeless to Sleep In Homeless Office

The Department of Homeless Services has broken its own longstanding rules by letting people sleep overnight on chairs at its Bronx office, The Post has learned. At other times, DHS bent the rules by shuttling people to a nearby hotel before dawn for as little as an hour — before returning them to the center. “You’re not supposed to sleep there, they’re supposed to take you somewhere. They didn’t,” said Cynthia Penns, who was with her 14-year-old son. “There were a lot of people sleeping — kids, babies, too.” The strain at the registration center comes as the homeless population has increased by 4,400 since January to more than 56,000.

de Blasio is the First Mayor of NY in 60 Year That Won't Talk To Gabe Press

At the start of the parade, 90-year-old television reporter Gabe Pressman — who has criticized the mayor for not being available enough tothe press — approached Mr. de Blasio with his microphone, asking a question from the other side of the mayor’s banner. Other press rushed up behind Mr. Pressman, hoping to hear any response the mayor might offer — but the scrum was quickly broken up by Mr. de Blasio’s security, even as Mr. Pressman kept pointing his microphone at the mayor as he was shuffled away.